Use Me Any Time
by corneroffandom
Summary: Things fall apart for Carmella. There's only one place she can think of to turn.


Life is good. She has a new house in Florida with the love of her life, she's biding her time until she feels secure enough to cash in her Money in the Bank briefcase, and Wrestlemania is coming up, so it's WWE's busy season and she _loves_ all of it- the charity stuff, and meeting fans, and picking out a dress for the Hall of Fame, everything.

Carmella feels like she's floating on air as she unlocks the front door that she and Cass so carefully picked out last summer, because everything is clicking really well. He'll be back on the road soon, more things falling into place for them, and- She blinks, finding him sitting quietly on the couch, TV off, his head bowed as he sits with his hands folded over his knees. "Colin?" she asks, worry starting to edge away all of the good feelings she's had. "What's wrong? I thought you were doing some last minute in-ring stuff to prep for your return."

He looks at her, a pained look in his eyes and he smiles weakly. "Carmella, hi. You got back sooner than I expected." He clears his throat, pats the seat next to him. "We need to talk. Would you mind sitting down?"

Unease creeping up her spine, she does so, staring at him. "Colin, you're starting to scare me-" He takes her hand, lightly stroking her knuckles with his thumb, succeeding at shutting her up.

"Carmella, I've been thinking about how to tell you this. I was tempted to wait until after Wrestlemania, but... I know I can't." He exhales and smiles weakly at her. "This is... the worst possible timing, I know. But, uh."

"Just spit it out," she says, accent deepening as he delays, thinking. "Is your knee still bad? Do they think-"

He squeezes her hand. "No, Carmella." He closes his eyes. "I've been in contact with Enzo since his interview with Corey broke. He..." He coughs weakly. "He hadn't seen my post-surgery interview before then and he called to apologize for the things he'd tweeted."

"He shouldn't have tweeted them in the first place," Carmella scoffs, always having serious issues with Enzo since he'd gotten her fired from her job at a hair salon.

"He realized that," Cass explains. "He's sincerely sorry." She wants to spit sarcasm at this but something in his face gives her pause. An intense emotion in his eyes she hadn't seen there in a very long time, one that sends a feeling of unease down her spine. Before she can say, do something, anything, he leans forward and grasps her hands tighter, as if to keep her from bailing. "He's been an important part of my life since I was a teenager, Carmella. Even when we drifted apart, I could close my eyes and remember how blue his eyes were, how warm his skin felt under my fingers. How his laughter lit me up from the inside out."

"Colin-" she tries to protest, struggling to remember once when he ever said something similar about her.

"I'm so sorry," he says softly. "The more Enzo and I talked, the more I realized. I have feelings for him, and it's not fair to keep you here when... I think I want to give him a chance." He grimaces and looks around at the house. So freshly _theirs_ that some of their boxes are still unpacked even. "I promise, I won't leave you high and dry with paying this place off. It's a great house, you definitely deserve it."

She wants to laugh. She wants to scream. She wants to cry. But under all of the mess of emotions, she feels numb. Can only stare at him, her brain unable to process all of this. He waits for a response by her and when none comes, he stands quietly. She thinks he might be saying something further but there's a growing buzz in her ears, blocking out everything else, and she sits there quietly, watching him walk slowly around, the bulge of his knee brace obvious under his jeans.

He leans over behind the couch and pulls out a duffle bag. His things. Some of them, anyway. She can still see random things of his scattered around- this leopard print stuffed animal she gave him during his first leg injury back in NXT, a shirt of his sprawled out over the computer chair- so she knows he doesn't have _everything,_ but apparently the important things, whatever he might consider those to be.

She panics, realizing he's leaving. Right here, right now. Not giving her a minute to get her thoughts together, nothing. She struggles to her feet, gaping at him, and he hugs her, his touch feeling like fire, burning against her tingling skin. "I'm so sorry," he repeats, and then is gone.

She stands blankly there for a minute, an hour, a year. She's not sure but her knees give out eventually and she collapses to the floor, realizing she's all alone now. He won't be back. Enzo's won.

Then her voice comes- in one drawn out, pain-filled cry that echoes around the empty house.

She can't stay. She can't be here. Not in this house where she was supposed to have a life with Cass. Get married in the shadows of those huge floor to ceiling windows, raise kids in the rooms just down the hall that were to be empty only temporarily while their careers played out. Grow old with him, holding his hands through weakness and grey hairs, arthritis and loss. It was supposed to be theirs, all of theirs. But now she's all alone.

Swallowing hard, she gets to her feet and finds her cell phone, only one course of action making sense to her. "I need a plane ticket," she says numbly into the phone as soon as someone's voice buzzes in her ear.

It's _cold_ is her first thought when she finally arrives early the next morning. Dark and grey, and about as ugly as she feels. Her hair is tangled and grimy, her hands are shaking from a mix of nerves and caffeine, and she knows her face is probably a red, blotchy mess- lack of sleep, crying off and on. Her voice is wrecked as well, alternating between yelling at the silence surrounding her, and pleading for answers why, why, why... but it doesn't matter. She could be as imperfect as a person could possibly be, it wouldn't matter.

It takes some driving, her GPS not a lot of help in this town, so many one way streets and dead ends that she becomes confused quickly, but she recognizes it as soon as she finally pulls up in front of it. The house is the same as what she'd seen in pictures, her eyes tracing from window to window, along each shutter, across the deadened grass and lifeless bushes surrounding the property. She gets out of her car and eases the door shut quietly, not wanting to give herself away so early.

Walking up the path to the front door leaves her breathless, feeling like this isn't reality. Spots fill her vision and she blinks hard, wavering in her sneakers as she reaches out to knock. Each strike with her knuckles sound feeble and she closes her eyes, realizing there's a doorbell right there. So she presses it and steps back, waiting. To his credit, he doesn't blanche when he sees her, just holds onto his door and stares at her, lips moving soundlessly. She exhales softly, searching his face. "James," she breathes out, the first fully formed word she's spoken since Cass ended things. She slumps in on herself and he reaches out for her, gently guiding her into his house.

She thinks it's nice inside, but barely notices anything past how warm it is as he settles her down in the living room, easing a blanket over her shoulders and rubbing her bare arms to get some warmth back into her trembling body. It's then that she realizes she didn't change clothes from Florida- tank top and shorts in Maryland in the middle of March, no wonder everyone she'd dealt with just to get here was looking at her like that. She laughs, a sharp, rough sound that soon grows into a choking fit, tears mixing in with her laughter and leaving her an absolute mess in his arms. "Princess," he whispers to her, tucking her in close.

She thinks he must be panicking right now, holding her like this. She's never broken down in front of him before, but he's handling the situation beautifully. Not pushing for information, just holding her, stroking her hair, brushing her tears away with gentle thumbs. She quiets eventually and sits there staring blankly at the fake stone wall before her, eyes tracing the grooves and cracks in the workmanship, and he's reluctant but leaves her to make tea, returning with some warm clothes. He wrings his hands a few times before realizing that it can't be helped- she can't just put these clothes on and be comfortable. So he guides her to the bathroom, he kneels down by the tub and runs the water for her, testing it like he would for one of his daughters to make sure it's comfortably warm but not scalding.

She doesn't bother telling him that she needs it to be scalding to feel _anything_ right now, just peels her clothes off right then and there and sinks into the water, not minding that he hadn't had time to leave. She doesn't care about a lot of things right now, still feeling dead inside. He swallows hard, scoops up the dirty items from the floor and goes to throw them in his hamper, deciding he'll wash them for her later. He checks the stove, finding the tea water boiling, and pours it over some teabags he's had from the last time his ex came around, letting it steep for a few minutes before bringing it to her, not that surprised when she quietly stares at it, not interested.

"Carmella, please," he whispers to her and this attracts her attention. She reaches out and takes the mug from him, sipping slowly. It's sweet with bitter undertones, he'd put honey and lemon in it, just like she used to like it, and she cries as she drinks it down, his brows furrowing in worry as she whimpers between each gulp. "Hey, hey, it's hot, go slow-" But she has it down to the teabag within moments and he quickly pulls the mug from her hands, placing it on the counter by the sink before returning to her side. "Princess-"

"I gave him everything," she chokes out. "I loved him for so long. But it was always- it was _always, always, always_ that damn Enzo! I could never compete, he ruined _everything!_ He cost me my job, he dragged me into this world, and now... now..."

James swallows, ignores that she's naked, that she's in a bathtub full of rapidly cooling water, and reaches in to find her hand, squeezing gently as he realizes, a flood of emotions following her words. A grim kind of relief, mixed in with absolute sadness for her, and guilt for his kneejerk feeling- he had never thought Cass was good enough for the beautiful woman before him. Not that many would be, but he couldn't help feeling like that whenever he'd see them together. "I'm so sorry," he says sincerely, eyes searching her face as she clings to his fingers, fresh tears pouring down her face. He can't think of any way to make her feel better emotionally, so he does the only thing he can. He finds the floral scented shampoo and fruity body wash that are sitting under his bathroom sink, collecting a wash cloth from one of the cupboards.

Stays by her side as she goes through the motions of washing herself, tears still pouring down her face as she struggles to get the shampoo through her long, thick strands of hair. Finally she gives up and weeps, not with it enough to manage even this, and he eases closer, pouring another dollop of the shampoo into his hands, running it through her hair, lightly massaging her scalp with his fingers as he works it into a lather. He thinks it must feel nice because she melts under his touch, tears slowly drying on her cheeks. Dips her back and pours fresh water over her, careful to keep the soap out of her eyes like he would one of his babies.

Once done, he presses the drain to let the water out and collects a towel, holding it out as she steps out of the tub. He keeps his eyes on her face as he wraps the towel around her, rubbing her back softly as she sniffs and grips the edges of the towel, blinking slowly when he gets a second for her hair, murmuring quietly as he dries her off as best as he can. For a moment, he considers tucking her into the guest room, but the bed there has always been uncomfortable so he eases her down the hall into his bedroom, helping her into the oversized sweater and baggy pajama pants he'd selected for her before realizing a bath was going to be needed. She looks unbearably young and vulnerable as he kneels on his bed, staring into her pale face. "If you need anything," he starts to whisper. "I'll be down the hall-"

But he hasn't even moved an inch when she rests a hand on his forearm, drawing herself up to press a kiss against his lips. This kiss isn't angry or led by a self-assured Carmella like the only other kiss they've shared, this one is desperate, hungry for _something_ , and she moans quietly into his mouth as he freezes. He doesn't think it's right, letting her do this when she's hurting and definitely not herself, and he tries to pull away, but her hands shift, grip his face, and yeah, this is more like what he remembers, the soft noises she's making growing in intensity as she digs her nails into his hair, keeping him in place. He gasps when she straddles him, her knees biting into his hips, and he wraps his arms around her, trying to keep her from tumbling clean off of the bed.

His body feels like it's on fire as she reaches down and grips his hoodie- something he _still_ finds himself wearing even though she hasn't been around to see how her style had influenced him still to this day- but cold washes over him as she pulls away, throws the hoodie somewhere on the other side of the room. It pulls him out of this fugue state he's found himself in, and he shakes his head, pressing a hand to Carmella's shoulder to gently stop her. "Carmella, no- we can't do this. You're- hurting, and you're not sure what you're doing-"

She stares at him, clearly unimpressed, and he swallows at the tired, broken look in her eyes. "I know what I'm doing," she breathes out. "I need... I need to _feel_ something, anything. I don't want to be alone anymore." Tears fill her eyes and he chokes on his own saliva as he reaches up, trying to brush these away too. She cups his hands and stares at him. "You're the only one I can trust, Jimmy. I know it's not fair of me to use you like this, but I... I need... I need you right now. Please don't deny me by some misguided gentlemanly perspective."

His brain's short cirquited a few dozen times during this admission and he closes his eyes. Nods quietly, a pensive kind of determination on his face. He can't believe this is happening, that after everything, they're in his bed, and he's carefully gripping her as she resumes kissing him, sweeping her tongue against his lips, and then inside, exploring his mouth as he eases the sweater he'd just given her off, hands trailing over her skin, brushing over her curves. Her moan this time sounds more aroused than pained and he exhales hard, all of his senses on overdrive as he tries to take everything in- how her eyes are gleaming in the pale light coming from his windows, the warmth of her mouth, the soft sounds she keeps making, the floral smell coming from her hair every time he gets close enough to breathe her in.

If he didn't love her before, he thinks, he'd be a definite goner now. 

Leaving Maryland hurts in a way Carmella hasn't expected. Returning to reality, facing her fellow Smackdown competitors, having to explain. Her only relief is that Enzo isn't here anymore. She imagines it, the urge to storm in, kick his ass, make his eye injury from a few months ago seem like child's play. It's suffocating, it's awful. She digs her nails into the strap of her briefcase and tries to find something to ground herself with. _Something, anything-_ And then she finds it. A memory of warm grey eyes staring into hers, fingers brushing gently along her hips as James kissed her, tender and affectionate and the kind of kiss that would make anyone tremble. Anyone but her, that is, her heart too broken, her brain too jumbled, for such things. But still, his careful focus on every inch of her that night had been nice, made her remember what it was like to honestly be revered by someone.

So when things get overwhelming and the questions are coming too thick and fast, she closes her eyes and remembers that moment- how he had unconditionally given her what she needed most. As he always did, without question. She wipes at her face, wishing they still worked together. That she could call him right now. Maybe go back to Maryland and lose herself in him again.

But it's not fair. He has two daughters, and he's trying to figure out his place in the indy scene post-WWE. He doesn't need her screwing his life up again. Besides, she needs to get things figured out herself. Decide what to do with the house, since she doesn't want Cass' charity. Swallows hard and stares at her briefcase, tapping absently at the handle on the briefcase. Charlotte is getting manhandled by Riott Squad right now, Naomi and Becky neither helpful as the three women had figured out a decent way to fight them all off, targetting the women's champion. "Why wait?" Carmella wonders as she watches Ruby, Liv and Sarah take their leave, Naomi and Becky barely moving around ringside while Charlotte languishes in the ring, arms wrapped around her midsection.

She tugs the briefcase up, she stands and purposely ignores Lana and Tamina's attempt at conversation as she walks determinedly down the hall towards the ring. _This briefcase,_ she thinks, remembering everything she and James endured to get her to this moment. _This is our legacy, Jimmy. I'll make you proud._

Except that somewhere between the walk from the woman's locker room to the ring has given Charlotte enough time to recover and, when Carmella tries to put her in the cone of silence after the referee rings the bell to record the cash in, Charlotte reverses and kicks Carmella to the mat, dazing her as she twists her legs up into the figure four, Carmella screaming as Charlotte pulls her up, bracing with her feet and bridging into the Figure Eight. Pain tears up Carmella's thighs and into her very core and she feels dizzy at the realization she's failed again as she taps desperately.

The briefcase is gone. She has nothing. 

Florida. Maryland. She stares down at the map on her phone. Feels drawn back towards Maryland, but also... also she has things in Florida she has to wrap up. The house, for one. Sitting abandoned, the mortgage payment due, and... She knuckles her eyes angrily before calling the airport. "I need a ticket to Orlando," she finally manages to say off of a tired sigh, decision made. After a quiet flight there, she finds herself standing out in the warmth, sun brushing against her skin, and she knows... she can't do this. Not yet. So she grabs her luggage and directs her uber driver to Bayley's house instead.

Bayley kind of reminds her of James in a way, awkward but warm and understanding, listening patiently when Carmella talks, and comforting even when she doesn't. She is nothing but compassionate as Carmella explains the break up, the house, everything. The only thing she keeps to herself is James, how he'd taken care of her, the memory of his touch still with Carmella. After another tiring day emotionally, she finds herself tucked on Bayley's couch, TV droning quietly, a mug of hot chocolate held in her hands as Bayley drops marshmellows in. "Thanks," she says quietly.

Bayley smiles at her, sitting down next to her. "So what are you going to do now?"

Carmella shrugs listlessly. "I don't know. The house is too big for me to live in alone. I have to figure out what my options are. I can't afford it on my own, and Cass said he'd help, but I'd rather not continue co-mingling our budgets like that. You know?" Bayley nods. "And I don't have the Money in the Bank briefcase anymore, either, so... I haven't felt this untethered personally or professionally in... a really long time. I don't know what I'm going to do."

Bayley reaches out and takes her mug, placing it on the coffee table before hugging her. "You'll figure it out, I have no doubt."

Carmella laughs through her tears, squeezing Bayley back. "You're the best," she mumbles, muffled into her shoulder.

After almost a week of hiding away in Bayley's apartment, Carmella decides to return to Smackdown. She has nothing to do, Becky is wrestling Sarah Logan and Charlotte is at ringside with Naomi keeping an eye on everyone. Natalya is busy with her phone, so she barely seems bothered, but Tamina and Lana look as thrilled as Carmella does- then the WWE doctor comes by. "Hey, Carmella, did you forget our appointment today?"

She hisses. She definitely had. On top of the wellness checks and standard post-match exams, they're supposed to have annual physicals just to make sure everything's good without the stress of upholding appointments with doctors on their already strained travel schedules. She exhales and hops up, trying to look more energetic and positive than she feels. "Sure, doc, let's do this thing."

Nothing too out of the ordinary, he listens to her lungs, takes some blood, checks her blood pressure and pulse, examines her legs and arms, checking her midsection for any injuries that may have been missed, finding nothing. "Everything looks pretty perfect," he informs her. "We'll call you in a few days if any vitamin deficiencies or anything come up on the blood test but I see nothing to be concerned about. I'll see you next year then."

She laughs weakly and hops down from the cot, heading for the door. "Thanks, doc," she calls over her shoulder, returning to the locker room to listen to Lana and Tamina complain back and forth about various things to do with the Riott Squad.

The decision to return to Florida feels easier this time, until she's in line to board the next morning and her phone rings. It's the WWE doctor and her heart sinks, not sure what to think about a call back this early. She swallows and answers it anyway, brows furrowing. "Doc? What's up?" Her cell reception isn't great and the airport is loud so she thinks she hears him wrong at first, quickly pulling away from the line of people and going to sit down heavily. "Wha... what did you say?"

"Preliminary results from your blood test is in, Carmella," he tells her gently. "You're pregnant. You'll need to meet with an OBGYN, they'll make sure everything's fine, and let you know how far along you are, things of that nature."

Her head is spinning. She's not even sure she answers him, pressing the end button on her phone and sitting there in a daze before getting to her feet and leaving the flight to Florida behind. Since Smackdown had been in New York that weekend, she makes the drive home to Staten Island and tucks herself in a hotel room there, not wanting her parents to worry but needing the familiar comfort of the nonstop roar of traffic on the Expy to stick with her as she stares blankly at the wall and tries to sort everything out.

The baby _could_ be Cass'. But they've been broken up for almost a month by now, and before then, hadn't been intimate for a few weeks prior to that- his schedule picking up as his return loomed closer, and everything going on with her between the house, Wrestlemania, and so many other things leaving their schedules clashing at every turn so they'd barely seen each other until he'd confessed to her that he wanted to be with Enzo... Desperate for a distraction from _those_ memories, she digs her hand into her purse and finds her pocketbook, trying to figure it out on the calendar then, quickly determining that it probably couldn't be his unless the OB GYN tells her something different. That leaves one option and she stares at herself in the mirror as she digests this.

 _James..._ She curls up in bed and presses a hand to her stomach, wondering about the life growing inside of her. The timing of it all. What James might think. She buries her face in her pillow and struggles to breathe in and out, fending off a panic attack at how suddenly her life has changed from even a month ago. Tries to focus on the roar of the cars audible from her window as they rush along the highway and whimpers as she hugs a pillow tightly, considering the next eight months or so of her life, away from her career.

It's almost unfathomable.

The house in Maryland is unchanged, she thinks, resting a hand on the pane of glass to the side of the door. Of course it's barely been a month since she'd last been here, but everything feels so different. She'd found an OB GYN, who had told her she was almost a month along, and was in perfect health, giving her enough prenatal vitamins to tide her over until she could get back to Florida and find an OB GYN to take over her care permanently. There wasn't much to see on the ultrasound, just little blurps and blobs, but Carmella has a picture of it with her anyway, eyes scoping out where the doctor had pointed out the small shape that would eventually grow into her child.

So now, with this information, she finds herself back at James' house, pondering how best to tell him. If she even should. He has two daughters that he loves, why should she distract him with a child he didn't even want, definitely didn't plan for? She closes her eyes, once more regretting all of the times she's used him over the last year and a half, how awful she'd treated him. _But he deserves to know,_ she thinks, looking her reflection in the eye. Reaching out, she presses the doorbell and listens as it echoes throughout the house once more, shrill laughter and running feet coming towards the door.

"Lilly, what have I told you?" James' voice echoes towards her, but he doesn't sound angry, is actually laughing, and when the door is pushed open, she finds herself staring at James crouched over, holding one of his daughters in mid-air, her little legs kicking joyfully as she grips the doorknob. He freezes with laughter in his eyes, slowly fading away. "Carmella?" he squeaks, putting the little girl down and gaping at her.

She smiles weakly at him before leaning down to the child she'd met a few times when Smackdown had toured close enough to Maryland that James had his daughters come to visit the arena. "Hey, Lilly."

She grins at Carmella, revealing where she's lost a couple of teeth recently. "Camel!"

Carmella laughs as James buries his face in his hands. "I swear, she'll be able to say your name correctly soon," he mumbles.

"It's fine. It's adorable." She holds her hand out and Lilly excitedly slaps it, bouncing up and down on her feet until James hoists her up and offers Carmella a smile.

"Come in, we were having a tea party until her sister gets home from school."

Carmella comes in but she pauses at the kitchen doorway, watching James ease Lilly back into her seat. _Lilly is our child's sister,_ she thinks. _And Marina._ She doesn't realize how long she's been standing there, digesting all of this, until James leaves Lilly and walks back up to her, touching her arm. "Oh," she breathes out, staring into his eyes.

"Are you ok? You looked really out of it just then."

She wants to say she's fine, move on with things, play tea party with LIlly, but the words freeze in her throat as she searches his face. "Can we..." She closes her eyes. "I need to talk to you," she finally finishes, reaching out and lacing her fingers with his. He frowns but lets her draw him into the living room where they can still see Lilly at the table, but also have some privacy. "I... I don't know how to tell you this." She stares at their fingers for a moment until he eases her chin up with his free hand and smiles worriedly at her, encouraging her quietly. She swallows, finding the strength that he's always given her. "I had my annual physical with the WWE doctor a couple of weeks ago."

His face immediately tightens up and she flounders for the best way to word this, not realizing that the longer it takes her, the more pale he gets. He grabs her other hand and tucks both of them against his chest, staring intensely at her. "Carmella... are you sick? What- what is it? What's wrong?"

She blinks hard as she realizes just how frightened he looks and she laughs brokenly, a pleasant warmth spreading through her at his sweet response. _Why am I so worried? It's James. He'd never hurt me._ So she says the words that she hasn't said out loud to anyone yet. "I'm pregnant."

He blinks. Stares at her for a long, tense moment, and then exhales slowly. "Oh..." He gently detangles himself from her hands and steps back. "I'm happy for you and Cass. Really, I am."

She eyes him, taking in the sharp emotions crossing his face too quickly for her to place them, before he looks away. Glances back towards Lilly. Before he can try to excuse himself and put more distance between them, she steps forward. Grips his jaw and makes him look back at her. "It's not Cass' baby," she informs him. Finds the sonogram picture in her purse and lightly presses it into his hand. His face softens as he looks at it, maybe seeing more than she did, considering he's seen a couple more of these than she has. Once his eyes ease up to meet hers again, she smiles. "I'm about a month along. It's ours, Jimmy."

He exhales hard, like he's been holding his breath since she put the image in his hands, and slumps down to sit on the couch. "Wow," he mumbles. "God, I don't know what to say." He looks up at her, some doubt and pain on his face. "I know you're going through a lot... this is probably the last thing you need right now. I... should've been more responsible that night, I'm so sorry-"

She sits down next to him and cups his fluttering hands in hers, trying to calm him. "I had time to think about everything," she confesses quietly, thinking about the days she spent in Staten Island before coming here. "And I decided I couldn't be angry at you. I slipped up that night too. And... in a way, I think this is coming at the best possible time that it could." She stares at her knees for a minute, breathing in deeply as she wonders how he'll respond to what she's decided. "There's nothing for me in WWE right now. Every time I go to Smackdown, it brings back a bunch of painful memories, and it just... opens all of it up for me again, how it felt, Cass choosing him over me. I've lost the briefcase. And I..." She closes her eyes, squeezes his hand. "I always thought about having kids, you know. I know I have options, I could continue my career, try to regain what I've lost, but..." She shakes her head. "This could be my best chance at having a kid. Things go wrong every day, I could wake up in five years and be ready, but unable to conceive, or..." She sighs. "I know, I'm babbling." She eyes him. "What do you think?"

He rubs her knuckles with his thumb. "I didn't want to try to sway your opinion. It, it's your choice one way or another." He looks away for a minute, checking on Lilly, who is still chattering cheerfully to the stuffed animals sitting across from her, and he swallows. "My girls are awesome, watching them grow up bit by bit every day is really the best thing I've ever experienced." He turns to smile at her, and it's strained and kind of sad and she's not sure what to think of it. "I'm happy that you're going to get this opportunity."

A niggling kind of suspicion teases along her consciousness and she leans forward, their legs touching. "James, I'm not sure what you're thinking, but I want this to be _our_ opportunity. I didn't make this baby alone, after all. You deserve... you deserve to be part of its life as well." She glances at Lilly as well, smiling. "You're a really great dad, and a good guy. I want this kid to be like you. Loving and loyal and sweet, modest and calm. I, I think we can co-parent, don't you?"

He flushes, staring at her in awe, before nodding faintly. "Yeah. I do," he murmurs. "Just you were... talking about Enzo, and everything else, and I thought... maybe I was an unfortunate reminder too."

She cups his face and shakes her head. "Never! You've held me together through more bad moments than you probably even realize." She's reflecting on those moments when she realizes she's still holding onto him. It being her turn to blush, she carefully eases away and laces her fingers in her lap. "Now I just need to figure out what to do with the house..."

He blinks at her. "House?"

She nods. "Cass and I bought a house back when things were good, and he's offered to help me pay for it, but... it feels too big for just me. And I don't want to continue mixing our finances. I don't know what to do. I have a mortgage I can't afford, and a baby on the way, so I won't be working, and..." She rubs at her forehead. "What a mess..."

He clears his throat anxiously and reaches out for her, resting his hand on hers. "Princess, I know this lawyer... he helps when things get messy with my indy fed? I can talk to him, see if he has any suggestions how to handle getting out of your mortgage. He's a good guy, if he can help, he will."

Carmella nods, then grimaces. "That's only part of the problem though. If I get rid of the house, then... where am I going to live? Cass is probably in California living it up with Enzo right now, and I can't keep bothering Bayley or... move in with my parents or sister..." She exhales hard and squeezes his fingers, not noticing the look on his face.

"You could... you could move in with us," he says, eyes fixed on her as she sits there, not even registering this for a moment.

When she does, there's a dizzying sense of _right_ that slams into her like a freight train. "What did you just...?"

"Move in with us," he insists. "There's plenty of room, the girls adore you and... I... I want to help out during the pregnancy as much as I can." He searches her face and exhales shakily. "Just... think about it? Maybe?"

Her entire face crumbles and she leans towards him, tucking herself against his neck. "I don't know what I did to deserve you," she sobs, a mixture of hormones and emotions leaving her an absolute wreck in his arms as he rocks her back and forth gently, smoothing his fingers through her hair until she calms.

"I'm taking that was a yes," he jokes lightly, kissing the top of her head as she nods, leaving him relieved and nervous. "Come on, I'll show you the guest room. We'll get you a new mattress, that one has definitely seen better days." He walks her to the room that's next to the girls' bedroom and she sits on the mattress, testing it out. "Is it ok for now?"

"It's perfect," she sighs softly, taking in the pale cream walls and light blue carpet that comprises her new home for the foreseeable future. "Thank you so much, Jimmy."

Time passes. James' lawyer friend talks her through the process of getting a deed in lieu of foreclosure, which is heartbreaking but necessary. Ignoring her mortgage payment schedule and putting the house up for sale after enough time has passed feels like a punch to the gut, and actually starting the proceedings over the phone with the bank breaks her heart. She'd loved that house, and the future she imagined in it for so many months. James helps her write a letter to the bank reinforcing her needs, including the doctor's records about her pregnancy and how she'd be unable to work for the foreseeable future. He even takes the trip to Florida with her to support her through the meeting with the bank manager to convince them to accept the deed, which goes much smoother because of his calming presence.

The date the bank wants her out of the house is soon so she sets to packing, James right alongside her, and what starts off as solemn and painful turns light and a bit more cheerful when he finds old pictures and videos of her dancing, the two of them grinning down at teenage Carmella as she'd slowly grown up on stage. "You were beautiful," he murmurs, smiling over at her.

Her eyes soften and she reaches over, squeezing his hand. "Thank you, Jimmy." Box after box after box fills up and she's just deciding what to do with the furniture when she finds some forgotten things of Cass'. Old merch from his time with Enzo, their shirts, and even one of Enzo's obnoxious wigs.

She stares down at it, fingers so tense that her knuckles turn white, and James walks up to see what's wrong. Realizing, he gently pries the top most shirt from her fingers, drops everything in another box and pushes it into the corner before hugging her. "It's ok," he mumbles. "You're ok."

She trembles. "I hate him so much sometimes," she breathes. "Why... why would he choose now to do this? We had it all..." Tears pour down her face and she pulls away from James, realizing that this is probably the last thing he wants to hear right now, her talking about her ex while _just_ beginning to show with their child. "I'm so sorry, Jimmy. I'm such a mess."

He shakes his head, easing her back into his arms. "Of course you are, anyone would be." He strokes her back. "In the course of a few months, the guy you loved for years broke up with you, you're losing the house you adored, and now you're pregnant. It'd be a lot for anyone to take."

She sniffs. "I don't know what I did to deserve you," she breathes out as James smiles at her soothingly. Unable to shake the urge, she leans in and kisses him. Her mouth is trembling, her lips are wet, she's pretty sure it's the worst kiss she's given anyone, but he responds anyway, sighing into her like each touch she gives him is something to be cherished. She finally pulls away reluctantly and kisses his cheek, his nose. "We need to finish this," she sniffs, grabbing a box and moving away, her entire body buzzing in a way that lets her know if she doesn't get distance between them now, she'll never be able to focus on anything again.

He watches her for a few moments, gaze heavy on her back, before slowly getting back to work as well.

She rents a storage unit and puts some of her things there, but her furniture she sells or gives away. The girls take to her immediately, Lilly thrilled to have another person to play tea party with. Marina is more watchful, protective of her father, but she seems to fall in line with James' wants and needs and, when she sees how he lights up whenever Carmella walks into the room, she quickly warms up to her as well. Carmella refuses to let James buy her a new mattress, insisting that the one she's got now is perfectly firm and helps support her as her body adjusts to pregnancy, her stomach seemingly growing day by day now that she's well into her fourth month. Her next OB GYN appointment is approaching and she exhales anxiously, easing her hand over the growing swell of her stomach, frowning as she stares out of the window. "Hey, Jimmy?"

He looks up from where he's watching Lion King with his girls. "Yeah, Carmella?" He gently eases away from them and joins her, looking out at the bleak grey sky. "What's up?"

"I have an OB GYN appointment in a few days," she says softly. "They want to do another ultrasound." She stares at their reflection for a minute before reaching out and gripping his hand. "Do you... do you want to come? See our little girl or boy in person?"

 _"Yes,"_ he says so emphatically that she has to laugh a little bit, leaning into his warmth as he wraps his arms around her, stretching his fingers over her stomach.

It's a relief to have him there when it's finally time. Her third OB GYN in as many months, she finds herself overwhelmed and a little bit daunted when she finds herself on that cot. The first ultrasound had been so sudden, she'd been so far away emotionally that it had felt like it was happening to someone else, but now it's suddenly very real, her in this gown, sitting in this strange, quiet room, this woman about to rub cold gel over her stomach to show them their baby when it's bigger than just a little blip on the radar, and she shivers.

James easily reaches over and cups both of her hands in his, smiling down at her. "It's ok, Carmella. You're good." She exhales softly, relaxing at this, and when the gel is poured over her lower stomach and the wand applied, she barely flinches. Stares at the screen until the image appears, their baby an actual, wiggling creature, so small, but definitely there, inside of her, growing bigger every day. "Well, would you look at that?" James laughs, his eyes bright and suspiciously wet, but Carmella can't judge because tears are blurring her vision too and when she reaches out for him, he meets her halfway, softly kissing her.

They'd already discussed if they wanted to learn the gender, so when the doctor asks, they refuse, preferring to be surprised when the time comes. Once she leaves them to have a moment to collect themselves, Carmella sniffs and strokes James' jaw, smiling up at him. "We made that."

"We sure did," he laughs, resting his head against her shoulder. "It still feels like a dream sometimes."

Her face softens and she strokes her fingers through his hair, affectionate and calm. When she sits up, he helps her wipe off the gel and hands her her shirt, and they leave shortly afterwards, her eyes fixed on the picture of the ultrasound in her hand. "I have no idea what I'm going to do when it comes to actual parenting," she admits into the silence of the car as James drives them home. "But I'm gonna be the absolute best mother to this baby that I can be."

He glances over at her and smiles warmly. "I know you will, Carmella."

As her pregnancy progresses, morning sickness becomes more of a distant memory and with that gone, she starts experiencing other symptoms. Cravings at all hours, restlessness that makes sleeping difficult at times, and... well. Interesting hormone fluxuations that James unfortunately gets the worst of when she starts getting angry or breaks down crying or, sometimes, both, at the smallest provocation. She cringes away from these recollections as she stares at the wall during yet another sleepness night, the baby fluttering away inside of her. _James deserves better,_ she thinks, rolling over and hugging her pillow as she remembers how gentle and affectionate he always is with her.

But these memories aren't the main reason she can't sleep. Her cravings exceed food right now and she groans, sitting up. "Dammit," she mumbles, running her fingers through her hair, tangled from all of the tossing and turning she's been doing. She imagines she doesn't look too great, but she can't stay here either, so she gets up and pads out of her bedroom, careful to be quiet as she walks past the girls' bedroom. She's in front of James' room, in sight of the kitchen, considering a glass of water, or maybe milk, when she changes her mind and turns, quietly pushing his door open and slipping into James' room.

It's quiet and shadowy but she can see him, laying on his back and breathing in and out softly. She pauses and stares at him for a few, quiet moments, before walking up to the bed and sitting on the edge, watching his face. He looks so calm, peaceful. She smiles, fighting the urge to touch him, stroke his cheek, when his breathing changes and he stirs, eyes fluttering open. "Carmella?" he asks, voice thick with sleep. "What- are you alright?"

"Yeah, Jimmy," she whispers. "I'm fine. Go back to sleep."

But he doesn't listen, sitting up and examining her quietly. "Why aren't _you_ asleep?"

She laughs weakly, rubbing her stomach. "I don't know, the further I get in the pregnancy, the more restless I become. It's ok, though. I'll sleep after the girls are at school."

He frowns and reaches out, hand brushing over her stomach. He swallows when the baby kicks against his fingers and he leans in. "Hey, kiddo, calm down in there. Let your mom sleep, huh? It's exhausting enough with the cravings and hormones and everything." She smiles down at him, eyes softening, and he sits back up, flushing a little. "Maybe... I could get you something to eat? Would that help? Are you craving anything?"

She stares at him, eyes dark in the dimly lit room. "No... not food anyway." He looks confused but she turns away from him, fiddling with the edges of his blanket. "Jimmy, you deserve better than this. This whole situation." She waves a hand between them and stares up at the ceiling. "I was always so awful to you."

"What are you talking about?" He sounds hurt and she closes her eyes, never wanting to make him feel like that again.

"I mean, come on, I always used you. To win matches, and even after everything you did for me, I humiliated you by putting you on a dog leash. What the hell was I thinking? Then, after WWE fired you, I took it a step further and came to you after months of barely talking to you, and... used you to find comfort, and now I'm pregnant and it feels like I'm using you again, just to have a stable place to live while I figure things out." She shakes her head glumly. "I'm so sorry, James."

He leans in and grips her face, hands sure but gentle against her jaw and cheeks. "You listen to me, Carmella. From the moment you saved me from that pushy interviewer, and took care of me until I felt better after AJ beat me up so badly, you've been the best thing that ever happened to me since my daughters' births." She looks like she's about to argue so he rests a finger against her lips, quieting her. "I'm serious. No one's ever stepped up for me like you did, even when I didn't deserve it." He smiles a little at the memories. "Even when my mouth got me into trouble with the other women, you would defend me, keep me out of trouble." He chuckles a little bit, rubbing her knuckles. "And you wore that Free Ellsworth shirt when Daniel suspended me. I missed you a lot, and it always cheered me up to see it. Yes, things with the leash got weird, but I wasn't joking when I said I'd do anything for you, and I never blamed you for WWE firing me. Or for us not talking often afterwards, I knew you were busy between the move and your own career." He brushes some of the hair out of her face and searches her eyes. "It all worked out anyway."

She stares at him, tears welling up in her eyes at this passionate, affectionate reassurance, and she leans in, fingers trembling against his cheek as she kisses him slowly. "Jimmy," she whispers against his lips. There's an intensity in her gaze that he can't look away from even if he'd wanted to, her intentions obvious as she kisses him again, lips trailing down his throat as she pushes him onto his back and eases over him, holding herself so she can continue kissing him without putting pressure on her stomach.

"Carmella," he whispers when she shivers against him, eyes fluttering as she hesitates, suddenly deeply unsure. He rubs her back, pulling her closer, kissing her softly. "Go for it, Princess." She searches his face and nods slowly, her doubts fading away as quickly as they'd come. He exhales shakily, his hands warm and gentle against her skin as he braces her, supporting her, guiding her when she loses track, overwhelmed by her emotions, by everything going on.

Later, he eases her back onto the bed, smiling as she curls up next to him, exhausted but calm, humming against his arm as she kisses his shoulder, her hair tickling his chest while she shifts and yawns. "Jimmy? You asked me if I was craving something earlier."

He nods, too tired to chase the thoughts running through his mind. "Yeah, princess."

"There is something," she confides to him. He continues massaging her lower back and she sighs out a contented little noise. "I... I want this to be _our_ bed. I don't... want to keep sleeping in the guest room. It's so impersonal and empty. Do you think...?"

He kisses her. "All you had to do was ask," he murmurs, grinning as she giggles happily, the smile on her face entirely worth everything that he's had to go through the last few months.

The quiet calm that stays with them from that night continues on for almost a week, then a knock comes at the door at ungodly o'clock, James squinting at his clock until he realizes it's almost 6 AM. He gently detangles himself from Carmella, relieved when she continues to sleep on, before padding down the hall to the living room to see what kind of jerk would come knocking at this hour. "What the?" He recognizes the general shape of the form trying to peek in through his windows and exhales harshly through his nose, shaking his head. "No way," he mumbles, running his hand through his messy hair as he stumbles to the door, forces it open and stares out at the intruder. "What are you doing here, Enzo?"

Enzo Amore, sure enough, stares at him, hair- some blond, some dark- going every which way. Dude looks like roadkill, eyes bloodshot and wide, somehow making the blue of his pupils even more striking. He's pale, and James recalls hearing that he'd had the flu bad enough to end up in the ER a few months back, but he doubts it has to do with that. "I was told Carmella's livin' here now, and I gotta talk to her," he says, all bluster, standing up with his chest puffed out.

James is unimpressed. "She's asleep, and trust me, you're the last person she wants to see. Especially at 6 in the morning."

Enzo freezes. Pulls his phone out and curses colorfully under his breath. "Shit I didn't realize, I just... I was in New York, handling some business, and I thought..." He scrubs at his face. "I thought I could come talk to her, make sure... make sure she's alright before I hadta fly back out to California, I didn't realize it was this early."

James almost feels bad for him, under all of the disgust and hate he's felt for him for awhile. Enzo's half down the porch when he comes to his decision. "Hang on. I'll see... if she wants to talk. If not, you leave and never come back here, understand me?" Enzo nods, looking like he's about to bound into the house, but James holds the door securely, not wanting _Enzo Amore_ to ruin the general calm of his household at this hour. "Wait out here. I'll get her." He shuts the door tellingly, locking the main lock before he walks quietly to their room.

Carmella's shifted, arm thrown out towards his side, searching for him. He smiles weakly and lays down next to her, lifting her arm and giving it a soft squeeze before kissing her palm, then her cheek, her eyes, her lips. "Hey, Princess," he whispers against her mouth, hating himself for doing this. She stirs and blinks at him in confusion as he explains why he woke her up at such an awful hour when she's not even needed anywhere. Her eyes darken, her lips tense up and before he can really think about it, she's digging in the closet for something to wear.

Except that her hands are trembling and her shoulders are tense and he's pretty sure she's close to breaking down so he quickly moves to her side, rubbing her back, smoothing her hair out of her eyes. "Breathe," he urges her softly. She swallows hard and stares uselessly into the clothes hanging within until he reaches over and grabs a pair of sweatpants. As she stares down at them, he grabs her hairbrush and sends it gently through her hair until it looks a little more tamed. "Trust me, he already looks like roadkill, he'll have no reason to judge you for wearing this."

She swallows hard. "Alright," she says in a faint, cracked voice, pulling the pants on. "Thanks, Jimmy." She turns and tangles her fingers behind his neck, kissing him. "Look, I think... I need to talk to him alone." She presses her forehead to his. "Just... give me a few minutes and I'll come back in, ok?"

He hates it, but he understands. "Alright, princess. I'll be right here waiting for you."

She kisses him again. "You're the best, Jimmy." She pulls away reluctantly and heads for the living room, hands rubbing over her stomach absent-mindedly. Pausing in the doorway, she exhales shakily and reaches for the doorknob. He's lingering on the porch, his back to her, and she clears her throat, taking in his familiar form. "Come in," she says slowly, watching as he turns to face her, his eyes widening as his jaw drops.

" _Whoa._ I mean, rumors had been goin' around you were pregnant, but dayum." He quiets under her glare and shuffles inside, looking awkward. "Listen, I ain't gonna stay long, I didn't realize how early it was- or late it is, dependin' on who ya are..." He laughs weakly. "I, uh, was in the area and I thought I should... ya know, check on ya. Make sure you're doin' alright."

"I'm doing fine," she says blankly, sitting down on a plush chair that James had bought for her to try to keep her comfortable the further the pregnancy went and motioning at him to sit wherever.

He chooses the couch across from her and they stare at each other absently until he clears his throat. "So, uh. I know I'm probably the last guy you wanna see right now, if ever, but like I was tellin' James, I was in the area and felt like checkin' on you. Figured it'd be easier for me to do it than Cass, 'cause seeing him... would prolly be too much... at least with me, it's just pure hate. Right?" He runs his fingers through his hair, looking away for a minute.

She exhales, shrugs. "Why would either of you want to? You're both off in California, blissfully happy. Why do you care how I'm doing?" She sounds bitter. She can't help it. Doesn't really care to try, either, if she's being honest with herself.

He closes his eyes, then scoots forward. "I'm gonna be honest with you, alright? More honest than I've prolly been with anyone but Cass." He picks at his fingernail beds before speaking again. "My life's been circling the drain since our team split. I know it's all my fault, it ain't Cass', but we kinda started talking again a few months ago, and... his ability to forgive is as big as he is tall so we kinda became friends again. But I've always had feelings for the guy, like, more than friends, and I guess I was drunk one night, during the worst of things, and I admitted it to him. Didn't think anything was gonna come from it, but I guess it was weighin' on him for awhile. Next thing I knew, he was telling me he couldn't stop thinking about it, about me, and it wasn't fair to you. So... he broke it off with you, and-"

Carmella doesn't need a blow by blow recap of their breakup, or of Cass and Enzo's happy life since. "How long?"

He stops babbling, growing more flustered. "How long since what?"

"How long did you have feelings for Cass?"

He squints, clearly trying to think. She gives him a minute, absently rubbing at her stomach where the baby is kicking. "I... that's a loaded question." He stares down at his shoes for a moment. "I mean, I guess... Ya know we met in high school, and it was hard not to notice him, he always towered over everyone even then. And not just in height, it was... hard to ignore him, this vibe he had even back then when everyone was awkward. Underneath it all, he was intense and focused." He licks his lips and exhales. "But it was when I saw 'im again. In NXT. He was the only one who was really nice to me, no matter what I did or said." He looks awkward. Runs his fingers through his hair. "But I kept it to myself, ya know. Didn't seem fair, he already did enough for me, especially when I broke my leg. But then... the main roster, y'know. My concussion and how he reacted to it all, how hard he took it, I really came close to sayin' something then but he was with you, and I didn't want to wreck how happy he was. So yeah, I did anything I could think of to distract myself. Things just snowballed from there."

He's still talking, but Carmella doesn't need him to continue. She can piece it together in her mind- Enzo harboring these feelings and acting out because of it. Chasing Lana, pushing Cass away, then acting only worse when Cass finally had enough and betrayed him, leaving him behind, just for the truth to finally come out and force Cass to face some truths of his own. She hates how much sense it makes. Enzo's not talking now, she notices, and she stands up. She's tired physically and emotionally now that he's done trying to explain all of this and she wants to forget all of this in James' arms.

To her relief, Enzo takes the hint and gets to his feet as well. "Uh, well, I... I hope you have answers now," he says anxiously, his fingers tense against his sides.

She nods, watching him as he stares at her, an awed kind of look on his face. She taps her fingers against where she can feel her baby's little foot and shakes her head, Enzo's adoration for children and babies not unknown to anyone who spends a few minutes with him. Ignoring it would be like not allowing a dog lover to pet a puppy. "Do you wanna..." She motions and he lights up, inching forward.

"You sure?" he mumbles before she grips his hand and presses it down on her stomach, his lips parting as he feels a sequence of kicks against his palm. "Whoa! Ya got a fieldkicker in there, huh?"

"I think so," she says, relieved when he eases his hand away, lips still twitched up into a small smile. She exhales and raises her eyebrows at him, somehow managing to not sound entirely bitter when she speaks again. "Thank you for... coming by to talk to me. I think it did help a little."

He nods. Looks uncomfortable. "We both want the best for you, ya know, Carmella. We'll, uh, prolly never bother you again, but I thought you deserved to have some answers." He eyes her again. "Just so ya know, pregnancy really looks good on you." She hadn't needed him to tell her that. James had said- and proven- as much pretty much daily since she'd moved in, but she accepts it as graciously as she can. "You're gonna be a kickass mom, I already know that."

"Thank you," she says quietly, following him to the door and holding it for him as he walks down the path leading to the street.

He stops and turns to look back at her. "I really am sorry that we hurt ya, Mella. Have a good life, yeah?"

She swallows, hating how every bone in her body is telling her that he's sincere. "Yeah. Sure." He doesn't verbally respond, but he does smile weakly at her before turning and walking the rest of the way to his car. She waits until he's driven off before shutting the door and leaning against it, closing her eyes. "Damn," she exhales quietly, padding back to the bedroom.

James is sitting at the foot of the bed, waiting for her, and she smiles weakly, reaching out for him and pulling him up, leading him to the top of the bed where they can lay properly. She tucks herself into him as best as she can, letting the baby settle and kick against his side, a sensation that still makes him gasp even after all of this time, and she kisses his jaw, tangling her fingers with his. "Hey, Jimmy?" she whispers after explaining the gist of the conversation she'd had with Enzo.

"Yeah, Princess?" he asks, stroking his free hand through her hair.

It had washed over her, listening to Enzo struggle to describe his feelings for Cass. James is indescribable as well, solid and loyal, helpful to the point of hurting himself. He's close to her height- which she enjoys not feeling like she has to climb a tree just to get a kiss, much less all of the other advantages of such a thing- and there's this calm about him, he's always so positive, the light in his eyes not ever dimming even after everything she and WWE had put him through. She shifts up, and presses her lips to his, exhaling when he responds softly, both of them a little sleepy and adrift emotionally after Enzo's abrupt visit.

She runs her fingers through his hair, making a note to herself to call back on her old skills to help him keep his hair from getting damaged after so long of bleaching it, and continues kissing him gently as he rubs his hands up and down her back, easing some of the tension lurking in her muscles. She pulls away and takes in his flushed, dazed look before laughing softly, gifting him with a couple more quick pecks before sitting up. Her hair drifts down her shoulders, eyes fixed on him, and he's pretty sure he's never seen anything so beautiful before in his whole life. She beams down at him, eyes soft, skin gleaming as she brushes her fingers down his chest, along his sides. "Jimmy..."

"Yeah," he gasps, her touch more than enough to bring heat coursing through his veins.

"I love you." His eyes almost cross as he gapes up at her, her face soft as she leans back in and kisses him once more. "I don't deserve you, but it's the truth. You've held me together the last few months, and even when things were at their lowest, I knew I could depend on you to make me smile, or to feel good about myself. You're the best man I've ever met."

He absorbs her confession before easing up to kiss her, his fingers rubbing circles into her spine and causing her to melt into him even more. "I've been dreaming of you saying these things for so long," he admits shakily, forehead pressed to hers. "I love you too, Carmella." She hums as he resumes kissing her, soft, needy noises easing from her lips, when he shakes his head, pulling away with an oddly distressed look on his face. "Please don't let me wake up from this dream," he whispers, staring into her eyes with pained desperation.

Her heart breaks as she faces once again what she's done to this gentle, beautiful man over the last year. Cupping his face, she presses soft, slow kisses along his cheeks, eyes, forehead and nose before hovering over his lips. "This isn't a dream, Jimmy. And even if it is, we're both dreaming the same thing... and I promise you, if it is, I'll just wake up and tell you the exact same thing I just told you all over again."

"Promise?" he asks in that quiet, low voice a child never wanting to sleep again in case they should miss something uses sometimes.

"Yes." He relaxes at the simple determination in her voice and she smiles as he meets her following kisses with hope and adoration, the two of them slowly easing back into their former positions, her laying on her side, head resting on his chest, while he toys with her hair. They eventually doze off and, of course, when they wake up, she eases up and stares deeply into his eyes. "I'm in love with you, Jimmy."

The soft, awed look on his face makes it all worth it as he whispers those incredible words back to her, warmth spreading deep within her to every other part of her body. "I love you so much," he repeats once he can think straight enough to do so.

She smiles softly at him, surprised by how good those words sound after so long of going without.

-x

James stares uncertainly at the paint buckets before them. Without knowing the gender, they'd agreed to neutral colors for the nursery, which is probably something they would've gone with anyway, but still. So she'd picked a soft lavendar for the walls and he'd suggested a dark red for the boarder. She'd weighed it for what felt like forever before clapping her hands together happily and throwing her arms around James. "Jimmy, you're a genius!"

Despite the proclamation then, and his pleasure at making her so happy so easily, he just feels awkward now. He needs to paint but she's deeply nesting now that they're this far into her pregnancy and it was hard enough to get her to go sit down while he moved furniture around _to_ paint. Shifting words around in his head, he struggles until finally just giving up and resting his hands on her shoulders, lightly stroking her skin with his thumbs while bracing himself for a potential hormonal outburst. "Hey, Princess, I need to start painting but the fumes are gonna be really strong, and... I don't want to make you or the baby sick, so could you... like, go shopping, or maybe out to eat, or..."

She tilts her head, examining his nervous face, and then smiles. "You think of everything, Jimmy!" He's flabberghasted as he trails after her, helping her get her shoes on- she reached the point where she can barely see her own feet a couple weeks ago, and she'd been paranoid about choosing the wrong shoes or putting them on the wrong foot or something like that, so he'd been happy to help as much as he's able. She hugs him before heading out the door and he rests his hands on her stomach, stroking along where the baby is kicking, loathe to let them go but aware that it's necessary. "I'll call if anything happens," she promises, kissing him before stepping outside and leaving him to close the door once she drives out of sight.

As he trudges back inside, determined to make everything look perfect before she returns, she smooths her thumbs over the steering wheel and smiles, all kinds of thoughts and plans cycling through her easily distracted brain. People weren't kidding when they were talking about pregnancy brain, she can barely keep track of her own to do list, requiring her to write everything that needs done before the baby comes down, which she had to give to James so she wouldn't lose _that_ too. Painting the nursery had been the last thing on the list, but there was one other thing she'd been thinking about for awhile, something not even James knows about.

After a lengthy enough drive, she stares up at the only mall in this part of Maryland and smiles up at it, parking as close to it as she dares without risking a tow for parking illegally. She makes her way inside slowly and walks over to a map of the stores, trailing her fingers along the path leading to the various jewelry stores scattered here and there along the first floor. She takes a picture of the map with her phone since she probably wouldn't be able to remember, and begins her search with slow, determined steps. The first couple of places hear her out, but the salesclerks have strange looks on their faces as their eyes shift down towards her stomach so when they duck away, claiming to be on the look for rings to offer her, she turns and leaves, bristling at their judgmental attitudes. "Please," she mumbles. "Like I'd give them any money."

The third place isn't much better, but the fourth. It's quiet and calm inside, the bell by the door chiming as she walks in even a soft little noise instead of the abrasive music playing in the other establishments. She browses briefly before a salesclerk walks out of the stock room in the back and smiles when Carmella looks over at her. "Hello. If there's anything I can help you with, let me know," she urges before taking up her spot behind the cash register.

Carmella immediately feels more at ease. "Actually, I think there is," she says softly, ghosting her fingers over the glass separating her from the rings she's analyzing. Once the woman joins her, she breathes out, "I plan on proposing to my boyfriend and I've been looking for the perfect ring for him..."

"Really? That's great! Yeah, we can definitely help you with that." She walks around and unlocks the case, pushing the glass to the side so she can point out a couple of her favorites as Carmella watches her, relieved at her sincerity and lack of judgment at the situation described to her. She swallows down her tears as she looks into the case and sees the perfect ring once she blinks hard and her vision clears for the first time since she left the first jewelry store and the weird vibe she felt there.

As soon as the ring is in her hand, she knows. It's his, every inch of it. Gold with a thick line of silver cirling the band, because one precious metal isn't enough for him, he deserves both. This time the tears that fill her eyes are happy ones. "This is the one," she whispers.

She's half-dazed, half-smiling as she pays, while she walks out of the mall, and for the entire drive home, the box heavy in her jacket pocket, her fingers constantly brushing against it at red lights and stop signs. She then sits in the driveway of her and James' house and stares down at it, the gold and silver sparkling so beautifully in the sunlight. She wishes she could give it to him now, but it's not the right time. He's probably in the middle of working on the nursery, and-

Her phone buzzes. It's him. Her eyes soften as she answers it. "Princess? Is that you outside? I finished painting and it's kind of smelling a little better inside... you can come in and look while I shower, and then we can go out to eat while it finishes airing out. How's that sound?"

"It sounds perfect," she breathes, because it does, the velvet of the jewelry box still sending tingles up her fingers as she imagines the look in his eyes, how quickly he'll say yes to her, because James could never say no to anything she wanted. And she suspects he'd want it just as much.

But when she goes inside, he's streaked in paint and he's exhausted so she gently kisses him and sends him off to shower as she stares up at their child's soon to be bedroom. It needs some furniture- they have the rocking chair that will be moved from the living room to in here shortly, and a crib, changing table, stuff of that nature, but she's eager to get a small dresser for diaper supplies and baby clothes, and a small chest for the baby's toys which are sure to grow in amount quickly because, without even discussing it with James, she knows the baby's going to have everything it could ever want or need in the world.

Unfortunately, it's not the right time for the ring, James needs food and sleep, not a heavy question like marriage, so she hides the box in their bedroom under some of her clothes and turns to go check on him and figure out where she feels like eating at, peeking into the nursery once more with a soft smile, imagining how the future will be with the two of them taking care of their child within these walls.

She's so full of love and happiness that she almost doesn't recognize herself anymore.

-x 

Weeks pass with the box still hidden in her clothes drawer weighing on Carmella. But things are busy, between finishing up the nursery and lamaze classes, and then she starts experiencing Braxton Hicks as her body prepares. The first time, she'd been terrified and James had soothed her, convinced her that it was just false labor, but she was so shaky at the sudden onset of pain that he'd taken her in, just to ease her nerves. They reinforced what he'd said and allowed them to return home with orders to call in if contractions started in earnest or her water broke. Once home, she'd laughed pathetically and kissed him, apologizing for not believing him, but he brushed it off and settled her on the couch with a blanket and pillow, handing her the remote and heading into the kitchen to make her favorite meal. Because that's just the kind of guy James is.

When he's out, handling some business to do with his indy fed, she finds herself holding the box in her hands, imagining the perfect proposal- the words flowing so easily, so perfectly, Carmella convincing him easily that this is the best step for all of them. She bites her lips and sighs, wishing that she could just find a good day, one where she doesn't feel like crying or snapping at everyone around her as she gets heavier and achier, the latter weeks of this pregnancy really testing her positive outlook. She closes her eyes and curls up on her side, reminding herself that it'll be worth it, the baby and the proposal and everything. _Just need to hang on a little longer..._

The next day, she wakes up feeling better than she has in a long time. A few Braxton Hicks, but nothing serious, the pain dull and only coming a couple times an hour. She greets James with a gentle kiss and sits down for breakfast. They'd given up on eating in the kitchen awhile ago- the wooden chairs are too uncomfortable for her, so she gets the chair in the living room she loves so much and he massages her feet when he's done, since he eats a lot faster than she does, having been in that habit for a long time while backstage at wrestling events. Once she's done, he gently sets her foot down and collects their plates, heading into the kitchen to wash them so it's one less thing to do later.

She leans back against the chair and smiles, feeling the baby shifting around inside of her. She eases her fingers into the pocket of her pajama pants and feels the box there, eyes drifting closed. _Now would be a perfect time,_ she thinks. _I feel good, he's happy, so... why not?_ She rubs her stomach. "Get it done before you join us, right?" She smiles and gingerly eases her way out of the chair, being as quiet as possible so he won't rush to help her. She manages it just, rocking back and forth a bit before gaining her balance and walking into the kitchen. She's just pulled the box out of her pocket, about to approach him, when- the dull pain that had been with her off and on all morning which she'd thought had been braxton-hicks bursts out into mind-numbing, white hot stabbing agony deep in her core and she gasps out, gritting her teeth against it.

James hears her over the water and turns quickly, recognizing the sound of true distress in her voice and rushes to her, gripping her hands. "Princess? What's wrong?"

"I- I thought it was braxton-hicks," she whimpers. "But I... I think it's the real thing. I'm- I'm pretty sure that's a real contraction." He gapes at her, takes her hands and leads her into the living room, easing her down on the chair as she struggles to breathe through it like she'd been taught.

"I'll get my cell phone, I'll call the doctor," he says in a rush, hands still soaking. He'd not noticed the ring box held tightly in her hand.

She groans through a weak laugh. "You might want to turn the water off first, Jimmy." His eyes widen and she moves quickly, tucking the box into the bit of space between the cushion and the arm of the chair, as he dashes from the kitchen to the bedroom, returning with his phone and dry hands now. He kneels next to the chair and rubs her back, finally getting through a recording to talk to the OB GYN. She sits there, feeling like she's in a painful haze, as he explains what's going on. The pain had eased a minute after she'd sat down but, in the middle of his talking, it starts all over again and she moans, digging her heels into the carpet as he stares up at her worriedly, reaching out and gripping her hand, keeping quiet as she digs her nails into his skin, fighting the abrupt urge to push.

"... It's like, every eight minutes? I'm not timing it, but they're coming really fast, and she's-" He listens for a few moments, brows furrowing. "Come in? Ok. I'll... We'll do that. Thank you." He hangs up and stuffs his phone in his pocket. "She says come in." He leans in and kisses her. "Sit right there, I'll get your bag. Breathe, Princess." He's about to rush off but she grips his shirt and sniffs. "Hey, hey, it's ok," he whispers, patting her hand gently. "It's ok, it's ok."

She cries wearily and groans as the pain eases. "I'm so sorry, I thought it was Braxton-Hicks. I should've paid more attention..." She'd been so focused on the perfect proposal that nothing else had mattered, she hadn't realized-

"No, don't do that," he says gently, brushing his fingers down her cheeks, along her jaw. "We weren't sure with Marina either, there were a lot of false-starts. I think it happens to everyone on their first time." He hugs her for a moment and pulls away. "You're fine, mama." She smiles at this, being called _that_ for the first time bringing up a wave of emotions that she hadn't expected, and he kisses her forehead. "I'll be right back."

She lets him go this time and rubs her stomach wearily. "Your daddy is so forgiving," she whispers to the life inside of her. "We're going to meet you soon, I guess."

James rushes back and helps her out of the chair, looking her over. She smiles weakly at him and he brushes her hair out of her eyes. "Ready?"

"I think so," she says quietly. He turns to unlock the door and she shakes her head, looking woefully at where she'd put the ring before moving to follow him out, his hand steady on her lower back. She's barely made it when another contraction hits her and she moans, gripping the side of the car as she braces through it, unable to focus on anything _but_ the pain. He holds her hand, continuing to massage her back, whispering to her until she relaxes enough to sit down in the car, breathing in and out raggedly.

"Hospital's only a couple blocks away," he says needlessly. "We'll be there before you know it." She nods as he lifts her hand and lightly kisses her knuckles. "Squeeze if you need to," he says, starting the car up and pulling out with one hand as he holds onto her with the other.

"Yeah," she agrees, voice already a little strained from the pain. They're almost there, the hospital in sight, when the next, sharp contraction rocks through her and she whimpers, digging her nails into his hand. She feels the car slow, then stop, and James' free hand runs through her hair, down her face, as they wait it out. When it passes, she gasps for breath and groans, unlocking her fingers from where they'd dug into his hand again- and she gasps, seeing small streaks of blood trail down his skin. "Jimmy, I- I'm so sorry," she chokes out, realizing it's because of the fake nails she'd chose when James had treated her to a pampering day not even a week ago.

He shakes his head, getting out and rounding the car to her side, helping her to shift and get out of the car. "You have nothing to apologize for," he says softly. "Come on, Princess." He guides her into the hospital and she's in the middle of explaining to the nurses when another sharp, stabbing contraction rocks through her and James finishes telling them what he knows about the last couple of hours as they help her into a wheelchair and take her to a room. Once she's settled on the bed, and Dr. Wilson has arrived, James kneels down by the bed and takes her hand again, ignoring when she tries to move away. "Stop it, Carmella," he says to her. "My hand'll survive. You need someone to hold onto. That's my job."

She sniffs and shakes her head. "Why..."

"Why what?" he asks, rubbing her knuckles with his thumb.

"Why is it any time I need something, it just ends up hurting you more?" she whispers, tears pouring down her face.

He sighs and rests his forehead against hers. "Look at me, Princess." When she does, he smiles at her. "Whatever bit of pain I may have experienced since meeting you, it's always been fleeting and I would endure it again for all of the good times we've had together. Ok?"

She seems like she's about to respond, her eyes gleaming with adoration for him, when she tenses up and struggles just to breathe as more stabbing pains brush up her body, erasing everything else around her that matters. James holds on, trying to wait it out, when the doctor says, "Ok, this contraction's easing now, Carmella. Next time? I need you to push, alright? It's time."

"What?" she asks, face flushed and eyes uncertain. "I... it's too soon, these things are supposed to take _hours._ "

"For some, yes. You appear to be one of the lucky ones who have quick labors." Dr. Wilson smiles at her. "Besides, we're not sure how long you were contracting before you realized it wasn't Braxton Hicks." A flash of shame clouds Carmella's face again, but Dr. Wilson shakes her head. "Trust me, you're not the only one who's confused the two." She pats Carmella's foot. "Now, get ready."

Carmella looks up at James and he smiles at her, face pale but hand steady as he runs his fingers through her hair. "You're doing great, Princess. Just a little longer, yeah?" He lightly squeezes her hand and she sniffs, feeling the blood flaking under her fingers. Before she can say anything, though, the pain returns, sharper and more intense than before, but she pushes against it, digging down with as much as she possibly can, the doctor and James' voices vague bits of nothingness in her orbit right now as she grits her teeth and struggles to see this through.

It eases away again and she collapses back against the bed, struggling to breathe normally once more. James rubs her shoulders and kisses her temple but there's no chance to really say anything when another wave of fresh agony washes over her and she finds herself back at it again, exhausted and barely able to think straight but knowing that it needs to be done- like the struggle to win the briefcase, only more fragmented, something she can't see too clearly except for the picture in her mind that she's been clinging to for the last eight months. Her, and James, and his daughters, and the baby- She grips his hand even tighter, digs down deep and _pushes._

"Very good," Dr. Wilson says over the rushing in Carmella's ears. " _Very_ good. Just one more should do it, Carmella. I know you're tired, but we're almost done here."

James is smiling down at her, his eyes brimming with so many emotions she can barely recognize them all. "I love you, James," she breathes out and he brushes a soft kiss against her lips.

"I love you too, Carmella," he says, barely moving when the next contraction starts and she follows the doctor's instructions until her body feels completely drained and she collapses back against the pillows, blinking slowly.

"Congratulations," Dr. Wilson announces softly as their baby's wails fill the room a few moments later. "You have a perfectly healthy little boy." James laughs through his tears, stroking Carmella's face, before he gently eases away from her and goes to see, to cut their son loose with the scissors offered to him by one of the nurses.

When he returns, he looks calm, his skintone more normal. She feels a little better too, gingerly gripping his hand and brushing her fingers over the gouges her nails had left in his flesh. "Are you ok?"

He chuckles. "I feel like I should ask you that," he says, settling next to her carefully on the bed and wrapping an arm around her. "Geez, it all happened so fast. Marina and Lilly both took forever, it felt like."

She yawns and nods, resting her head on his arm, when a nurse comes up to them. "Are you both ready to meet your son?" This wakes Carmella up and she gapes as the small baby is placed gently on her, immediately settling into counting his fingers and toes, brushing her fingers lightly through his soft brown hair.

"Oh, James," she breathes out in awe. "He's gorgeous."

James nods, smiling as he strokes his son's back. "He takes after his mother that way."

Carmella looks up at him through her eyelashes. "I see a lot of his father in him too though." They giggle a little, both kind of emotional and tired. "Are the girls gonna be ok with a little brother?"

"Yeah," James sighs. "They will be. Besides, there's three of you against one of me, it's time I had a little help in evening the field out."

Carmella laughs. "You never do have much luck against women."

He pouts at her but then shrugs, smirking. "Sad but true." He lightly strokes the baby's face. "If not for that, though, this little guy wouldn't be here right now." James watches as Carmella drifts, the feel of her son against her chest easing her into a deep sleep. "We need to decide what name is perfect for him, but that can wait," he says softly, settling in to watch over the both of them as they get some much deserved rest.

-x

The baby is very calm, easy to please as they settle him in his basinet by their bed each night since bringing him home. He blinks up at them a few times, tenses his fingers into fists, and then falls into a quiet, easy sleep. Carmella smiles and shakes her head. "I wish it would always be this easy," she chuckles, brushing a finger down James' jaw before reluctantly walking over to the bed to lay down. The birth had been easy enough that she's bouncing back well but the baby's sleep cycles are still jumbled, so she's up at random hours through the night, and it wears on her. James tries to help but he can only cancel so many indy dates before things get a little dangerous for them financially so she takes it easy on him, aware that he needs sleep to keep it together during matches. The last thing she'd want is him getting hurt.

Marina and Lilly come over after school for their scheduled time at James' house and they walk very quietly into the house, their voices barely a whisper. Carmella smiles at how considerate they're trying to be for their new little brother as they stand by the couch and look up at the bundle in her arms. "Can we see him?" Marina asks, hands already twitching to hold the baby.

"Yes. Get up on the couch," Carmella urges her. She helps Lilly up first, then joins her sister, and they both sit there, staring at what they can see of their baby brother, Marina sitting very still as Carmella eases the baby into her lap. "Support his head like this, and ... There you go, you're a natural!"

"I held Lilly a few times when she was small," Marina says proudly, staring down at the newborn. "She wasn't this small, though."

Carmella chuckles and then looks up as James walks into the room after dealing with some scheduling mishap with his indy fed. "Everything ok?"

"Yeah, it'll be alright," he says, placing his phone down as quietly as he can manage, clearly still frustrated. But his smile seems sincere as he turns to his daughters so she lets it go. "Aw, look at this, you two getting to know your baby brother?"

"Yes, Daddy," Marina chirps.

"Does he have a name yet?" Lilly asks, eyes wide and eager as she stares at what she can see of her little brother in Marina's arms.

"Yeah, Lilly, he does." Carmella smiles as James eases down next to her, careful not to jostle the girls.

"Oooh... What is it?" Lilly asks in a hush, eyes wide.

"Fresco Nova," Carmella and James say together with matching grins on their faces. Since they had spent months not knowing a gender, in the end, they'd each chose one of both. When the baby had come, they'd liked both so much that they agreed to make it the baby's first and middle name. Carmella had insisted upon Fresco and James had loved Nova, and the names fit together well enough, so it had been an easy compromise.

The girls exchange glances before looking down at their baby brother. "Welcome to the family, Fresco," Marina murmurs while Lilly plays with his fingers, delighted when he squeezes her finger with his whole hand.

"Daddy, I think he likes me!" she exclaims, beaming.

James chuckles. "Who wouldn't like you, Lilly Pad?" He locks eyes with Carmella and they chuckle softly, leaning into each other. "Our family," he says softly.

She exhales softly and nods. "Ours," she agrees, fleeting thoughts of the ring she'd re-hidden in their bedroom still with her. Raising a baby is a lot of work, and she sometimes feels bad for losing track of her plan to propose to him, but she knows that there'll be time later. When Fresco is a little older, when she isn't as tired. When James isn't quite so busy. _Plenty of time._ She smiles, curling her fingers around James'. _We have our whole lives ahead of us._

-x

Time passes, Fresco starting to toddle around and babble almost words as he passes his first birthday, their families still meshing together really well. Everything's going so well that Carmella's just begun thinking about returning to wrestling when her phone rings one night while she's asleep, the house quiet and calm. She squints at the clock, not understanding the numbers there until it clicks with her. Almost 1 AM. She turns over and frowns, not understanding why James isn't next to her. She touches the sheets, finding his side of the bed cold, and quickly grabs her phone, finding his name flashing there. "James?" she asks, rubbing her eyes. "Where are you?"

The voice that answers isn't James. It's one of the guys he trains with sometimes at his indy fed and her breath catches in her throat, the deep sense that something's _wrong_ sending ice down her spine. "Carmella, sorry to wake you up so late, but there was... there was an accident at the event tonight," he explains. "James lost consciousness for awhile, we're gonna take him to the hospital to get checked out."

"For awhile? How long is awhile?" she demands, anger and fear fueling her as she gets up and collects her clothes, trying to think about what to do with the kids. _It's too late,_ she thinks. _And I don't know many people around here who could come at a moment's notice at this hour anyway..._ She listens to vague mumbling from the other end and finally snaps, "How long?"

"About five to ten minutes," he says. "We called an ambulance, they're on the way, but you probably won't make it here in time, so just... meet us at the hospital. You know, the one a couple blocks away from your house?"

She knows. The one she'd given birth to Fresco in, much happier circumstances than this. "Yeah, I know," she mumbles. "Is he awake? Can I talk to him?"

The guy hesitates. "He's in and out," he finally admits. "Pretty disoriented. I don't think he should be using a phone right now, they usually advise against that with concussions, right?"

She knows he's right. But it doesn't keep her from being frustrated, scared, angry. "Fine. Call me if _anything_ changes," she demands, hanging up without saying anything else. Pulls some clothes on and slips into the baby's room, easing him into warmer clothes to go outside in. He sleeps through it, thankfully, and she kisses him on the cheek before going to collect his sisters. Unlike their brother, the girls stir immediately at her presence and she kneels next to Lilly's bed, stroking her hand as she yawns and blinks. "Girls, I'm sorry to wake you up like this, but your daddy's sick and he's in the hospital, and I can't find someone to come over to watch you, so we gotta go." She starts picking clothes out for them, nice warm clothes for winter in Maryland, and makes sure they're bundled up before guiding them into the hallway. "Go stay in the living room, I'll get your brother and be right out," she says quietly.

Once the baby is in her arms, she relaxes a little. "Daddy'll be fine," she says softly. "Yeah. It'll be ok." Fresco is still asleep, his fingers curling around her jacket, and she smiles tenderly at him. He looks a lot like James, his hair leaning more towards James' natural color than her own, and he definitely has James' pout, which she can just see now as he sleeps on against her shoulder. "I love you, Fresco," she murmurs into her son's ear before going to get the girls so they can leave.

Due to the hour, the hospital is quiet. She arrives just as James' ambulance is pulling up and manages to get a glimpse of him before the EMT workers take him to the nearest available room. She wants to follow but nurses convince her to wait until they have him settled, so she does, her brows furrowing as she squeezes Lilly's hand, Marina watching with worried, tired eyes. "Come on, girls," she says, relieved and proud when Marina helps Lilly into a chair and takes Fresco from Carmella, holding him carefully as he sleeps. Now that they're face to face and not on the phone, she remembers James' training partner, Sean's name, and walks up to him purposefully. "What happened?"

He looks nervous when he turns towards her, pale and a little shaky. She almost feels bad for him. _Almost._ "So James had his scheduled match earlier in the night, everything was ok, but one of the guys who was supposed to be in the main event flaked and didn't show. It was a multi-man match, it didn't seem like it'd be that big of a deal, so James agreed to go ahead and compete in it because he'd been having issues with the opposing team a bit. It happened when they were setting James up for their finisher, but they laid him wrong so when they moved to splash him, one of them landed directly on his head and..." He grimaces. "Not exactly a small guy, you know? A lot bigger than James, so... We, uh, we could tell something was really wrong, he was too still, so the ref called the match and we braced his neck and tried to move him carefully. By the time we got him backstage, he was beginning to stir, but it was pretty clear he was really out of it, so we called an ambulance and then we called you."

Carmella wants the guys' names. She wants payback for her significant other. She wants a lot of things right now, but she grits her teeth and she stares at her children and she forces herself to breathe in and out to calm herself down. Before she can say anything else to Sean, a nurse approaches her. "You're here with James Ellsworth, right?"

Carmella turns sharply. "Yes, I am. Can I see him now?" Her eyes shift over towards the children and she tacks on, "And can someone bring a cot? We're not leaving him tonight, but my kids need somewhere to sleep."

The nurses don't seem too thrilled about it but Carmella stands her ground and eventually they cave, giving her a few minutes to get the kids up, tucking Fresco against her shoulder before taking Lilly by the hand and leading her down the hall and to the left to the room James is currently occupying. The first thing she registers is the heart rate monitor, the second is how pale and still James is. She stands there blankly with Marina hovering quietly by her side, Lilly peering fearfully at her father. Fresco is the only one of them blissfully unaware of what's going on around him and she's relieved he's so young, probably won't remember any of this. Once the cot is brought in, she urges the girls over and helps first Marina up, then Lilly, before settling Fresco between them. She leans in and kisses the girls, then the baby. "Try to get some sleep," she urges them, their eyes so similar to James locked on her sending shockwaves of pain through her. "Daddy'll be ok. I'll make sure of it."

What little the nurses have told her hints that he's probably suffered a TBI but they can't determine much else until he's conscious long enough, which he's been in and out- mostly out- since arriving at the hospital. She closes her eyes and lifts James' hand, kissing his knuckles. "Hey, Jimmy, I'm here. The babies are here too. Sean tells me you woke up at the event, so I kinda need you to wake up for me right here right now too, you know? So I know you're gonna be ok." She tenderly strokes his brow, closing her eyes. "Come on, you gotta give me some sign here..." He sleeps on, though, his heart rate unchanged, and she bites her lip, looking away. "You know, I bought a ring," she whispers. "Before Fresco joined us. I was gonna propose to you and then I went into labor. And yeah, I've been telling myself every day since then that it's just not been the right time, I've been too hormonal and you've been too busy, the kids have been too hyper and Fresco's been teething, but... They're just excuses."

She glances at him for a moment before looking down at their interlaced fingers. "I was afraid," she admits. "I was afraid that you would say no, that things between us would change. I was afraid that you'd feel obligated to say yes but not really want it and grow to despise me for trapping you. I've done so many awful things to you," she tries to explain, barely understanding it herself. "But neither of those are you, are they? You would never say no to me, and you could never despise me. That time you told me I was one of the best things that ever happened to you... I didn't fully believe it, and it's still hard to, because of everything I've done to you, but I know you're the best part of my life, and I regret letting these fears rule me for so long. If it's... if it's too late, I'll never forgive myself."

She gasps as his fingers suddenly tense, curling weakly around her own, and when she looks up, his eyes are open a small amount, staring right at her. She leans towards him, brushing her fingers through his hair, eyes welling with tears, when he forces out in little more than a whisper, "Ask me now, Princess."

Tears pouring down her face harder, she chokes out, "I didn't bring the ring," but that is stupid. _No more excuses..._ She gives herself a good shake and cups his face. "James Ellsworth, I love you so much and I want to spend the rest of my life with you and our children. Will you marry me?"

He breathes slowly against her fingers, eyes still a little hazy. But he nods, lips twitching up into a weak smile. "I've been wanting to ask you for the longest time, Princess. Didn't think... you wanted it though..." He closes his eyes for a moment but forces them back open, staring at her. "Yes, I will marry you."

She laughs through her tears, kissing him gently. "I love you so much, Jimmy."

"I love you too," he breathes out, eyes already mostly closed.

"James, try to stay awake," she beseeches him, remembering with a rush of fear that the nurses want to examine him while he's awake. "They want to talk to you, baby. I'm so sorry." She kisses him again. "I'll be right back." She dashes out, informs the first nurse she sees, and then loiters by the cot with the children while hospital staff surround his bed, trying to examine him and do what tests they can before he falls back under.

Once this is done, one of the nurses approaches her. "We want to do some scans when he's awake again, but our initial diagnosis of a mild TBI holds. Explains his losing consciousness briefly back at the arena and how tired he seems. It's good news," she promises. "It could've been a lot worse. We can work with this." She smiles a little. "You should get some sleep."

Carmella nods blankly. Looks back at James and sighs once the group of hospital staff is gone. Checks on the girls one more time, finding them asleep curled up with their brother, and stretches quietly before kicking her sneakers off and carefully pulling herself up next to James, burying her face in his neck and stroking his hand tenderly. "My fiance," she breathes out with a smile, kissing under his jaw. She's not sure when exactly she falls asleep, but he's warm and comfortable against her, being close enough to track his breathing and heart beating a comfort to her.

She's up and down a few times, to check on the kids, feed and change Fresco, soothe Lilly after a nightmare, then returns to James' side to find his eyes open and fixed on her. She smiles and kisses him. "Do you remember?" she asks softly.

He blinks slowly, voice a little slurred when he speaks. "You proposed to me, right?" She nods and his face relaxes into a sleepy kind of smile. "Everything's kind of foggy but yeah, I remember that."

She chuckles softly, wrapping an arm gently around him. "I'll take it." His touch against her shoulder is shaky, kind of weak, but she nuzzles closer to him and sighs, just happy that he's aware enough to do this much. She'd been really scared she was about to lose him. They're still snuggled together when a nurse peeks in.

"Oh, he's awake," she says softly, eyeing the kids as she walks in and flicks the lights on. "Sorry, guys, we want to run some more tests and then, if everything looks alright, we may release him later this afternoon."

Carmella eases off of the bed and pats James' arm before tucking it back under the sheets. "Ok." She leans in and kisses him. "We'll be here when you're done," she tells him, wiping his lips with her thumb. "Take good care of him."

"We will," the nurse promises with a small smile as they press the lever that allows the bed to be moved, rolling James out of the room and into the hall.

Once they're gone, Carmella walks over to the cot and hoists Fresco up, kissing his forehead and sitting between the girls. "You guys have been so good," she murmurs, rocking the baby while the girls press into her. "We'll go home soon, ok?"

"Is Daddy going to be alright?" Lilly asks, wide eyes peering up into Carmella's.

"Yeah, sweetie," Carmella says, hugging her close. "He will be." She refuses to believe anything else.

James' return coincides with breakfast and Carmella leaves the kids on the cot to sit next to him. His hands are shaky, his coordination off. "I'm dizzy," he breathes, eyes squeezed shut as he fights the listing sensation. "I don't know..."

She quietly unwraps the plastic utensils offered and leans into him. "I'll feed you. Ok?" Between feeding the baby, and helping the girls out when they were sick with average schoolborn viruses, she'd gotten pretty good at it and gingerly feeds him bites of the mini-pancakes on the plate.

He downs half of those, and a couple of sausages, before stopping her, skin pasty and lips twisting. "I can't... I'm gonna be sick." Nausea was something the nurses warned her about and she quickly pushes the food tray away, trying to ease the smells, before hugging him close, cradling his face against her. "I don't wanna... don't wanna throw up on you."

She laughs weakly, running her fingers through his hair soothingly. "I'm the mother of a one year old boy, Jimmy. Trust me, it's fine." He breathes roughly against her and she waits it out, feeling him twitch and tremble against her until finally it passes and he relaxes into her warmth, groaning softly. "You're ok, sweetie. You're good." She kisses the top of his head and exhales as he dozes in her arms.

"Is he ok?" Marina asks in a hushed tone and Carmella is suddenly struck with guilt. She'd taken care of Fresco, but the girls...

She eases James onto the bed, tucking him in securely, and kissing him softly before walking over to the cot and hoisting the baby up. "Daddy's fine. He just needs to rest. C'mon, girls. Let's go raid the cafeteria. I bet you're really hungry, huh?" She stops at the nurses' desk and informs them where they're going before taking Lilly's hand and walking them to the elevator. She hates being away from James, but it's nice to take a breath, and she knows the girls have to be starving. "Get anything you guys want," she tells them, pulling out her wallet and counting the money she has in there. "I'm sorry I forgot about our breakfast. It's just been one of those mornings, huh?"

"It's ok," Marina says while Lilly squeezes her fingers. "Daddy needed you. We get it."

Carmella coughs as tears fill her eyes, struck once more by how sweet and mature the girls are. So much like James. She hugs the baby tighter and wonders if he'll be as gentle as his father too, or a little more like her. While the girls down French toast and scrambled eggs, she sips at coffee, feeling the badly needed caffeine slowly shake some of the fog that's been weighing her down. She kisses Fresco when he babbles at his sippy cup of apple juice and chuckles softly, wiping some syrup off of Lilly's lips.

The doctor returns shortly after they finish breakfast and take their places around James, confirming what they'd suspected- a TBI toeing the line between mild and moderate. "So there's no significant bleeding, but some swelling. The medicine we put him on is already reducing this, and we'll keep him on it for awhile longer, but he can take this at home. So we'll keep an eye on him for a few more hours, run another set of scans just to make sure everything is still headed in the right direction, and you can take him home. How's that sound?"

"Great," Carmella breathes out, squeezing his hand. James blinks sluggishly and she leans in, smiling at him. "You're coming home with us today, Jimmy."

"Mm hmm," he says sleepily.

He continues to drift in and out the rest of the afternoon. The scans go well and please the doctors enough to let him go home. Carmella remains anxious as she drives, the girls playing quietly in the backseat with Fresco. She keeps as close an eye on James as she can, but he seems fine. His words are still a little slurred, but nothing the doctor seemed concerned with. After getting Fresco inside and settled in his playpen, Marina and Lilly keeping an eye on him, she returns to the car and helps James up and out, towards the car. "Good?"

"Good," he says, leaning on her as she wraps an arm around his middle and guides him inside, down the hall to their bedroom. She helps him into PJ pants and a tank top before settling him into bed, smiling as he hugs a pillow close. "Carmella?"

"Yeah?" she breathes out, brushing her fingers down his cheek gently.

"I'm sorry I scared you like this. I love you."

She exhales and closes her eyes, resting her face against his. "Don't ever do it again and I'll forgive you."

"Deal," he says, already drifting to asleep. She sits with him for awhile, stroking his knuckles, running her fingers through his hair, imprinting everything she can to memory. It's tempting to get the ring out of her dresser drawer, put it on his finger right now, but she thinks she has a better idea.

A few days pass and James sleeps a lot, Carmella only waking him up to eat or follow up with his doctor. She misses his steady presence and she can tell the kids do too, Fresco very fussy at night before bed, but he grows stronger bit by bit and she helps him into the living room a couple of days later, settling him in what was once her chair. He exhales, breathing through his nose, as she quickly shuts all of the drapes, easing as much of the sunlight as she can. He still gets headaches easily, sensitive to lights, and she rubs his hand between her own until he opens his eyes, smiling at her weakly. "That's better," he exhales, tickling her palm. "Thanks, Princess."

She smiles at him and rests her head on his knee, kneeling in front of the chair as he plays with her hair and blinks away the dizziness walking from the living room to here had brought him. "Hey, Jimmy?"

"Yeah?" he asks, unsure about the tone of her voice, or the look on her face. "What's up, Carmella?"

She smiles and kisses his palm before laying his hand down. "I know that we haven't been engaged that long, but I think I wasted enough time so I've been thinking about it, and I... I think we should get married next weekend. You should be stronger by then, and I don't want to wait any more. I let my fear dictate things before, and it didn't end well for any of us." She searches his shocked face, unsure how to take this reaction. "What do you think?"

"I, I don't know," he admits, gnawing on his lower lip. "I want to marry you too, but there's no way you can have the big dream wedding I know you wanted before..." The _with Cass_ goes unsaid and she shakes her head, kissing his hand. "Carmella, I can't give you what you want right now..."

"Yes you can," she says. "You already have, when you said yes to my proposal. No, I won't have a huge wedding, but it's fine. I'm not the same girl I was then. We have a baby to consider, and Marina and Lilly. I already have everything I've ever wanted right here. A great guy, a beautiful house, amazing children. Trust me, I will not regret a second of our wedding whether we get married in four months or next weekend. But I've learned that waiting can be a bad idea too. Something could happen to any of us, and then what?" She eases up and kisses him slowly. "I want this, Jimmy."

He exhales. "I'd do anything for you, Carmella, you know that," he whispers back and she smiles. "Fine, if you're sure it's what you want. Any time you want to get married works for me."

She squeals a little before standing up and throwing her arms around him, kissing him. "It's gonna be so great, Jimmy. I promise."

And it is. She plans things as quickly as she can, but doesn't bother letting the small things trip her up. She knows it probably won't be perfect- Saturday, of course, is a busy day for both Raw and Smackdown people so most of the friends she'd gained while in WWE won't be there, but she has a pretty good idea to make up for that. James is napping when she finds Marina and Lilly watching a movie together on the couch. She settles between them and hugs them close. "Hey, girls. Daddy and I told you we plan on getting married, right?"

"Yes," both chirp.

"Well, a lot of our friends are busy that day but I was thinking, Marina, you could be one of my maids of honor? And Lilly, you'd make a beautiful flower girl," she says, lightly poking Lilly's nose. "What do you say?"

"Do we get dresses?" Lilly asks, eyes gleaming.

Carmella laughs. "Yes, sweetie, we all get dresses."

"Then yes!" Lilly beams.

"Marina? How about you?" Carmella asks, surprised by the girl's uncharacteristic silence.

She doesn't respond still, then when Lilly nudges her, mumbles something out. Flushing, she speaks a little louder when she notices the confusion on Carmella's face. "Momma might not like it."

"Oh sweetie," Carmella says, a wave of sympathy for the girl washing over her as she lightly drapes an arm over Marina's shoulders. "Look, we'll talk to her, ok? We won't do anything she or you aren't comfortable with. I promise."

"Ok," Marina whispers as Carmella gets out her cell phone and looks for the rarely used phone number. After dialing it, she hands the phone over to Marina and listens as the girl speaks nervously to her mother about the wedding. She pauses and then looks up at Carmella. "You're ok with it? Yeah, Momma, we'll take pictures. I promise." She laughs softly, which sounds more like an exhale of relief, and Carmella smiles as well. Once Marina gets off of the phone, she looks up. "Yes," she says simply, gratitude shining in her eyes as Carmella kisses the top of her head.

"Well, then, let's go shopping and find some dresses!"

The wedding is to be small by design. James still tires easily and Carmella wants things to go as smoothly as possible. So they keep guests down to immediate family members, and Carmella selects Bayley to round out her wedding party. Meanwhile, James makes a few phone calls and looks beyond happy when Shinsuke Nakamura and Chris Jericho both accept his invites.

"Working out pretty well, isn't it?" she asks, leaning against the pillows with him cradled in her arms the evening before their wedding. Carmella's sister had taken the kids for the night so the two of them could have some quiet time, during which Carmella had informed James that under no circumstances were they following tradition and spending the night apart.

"Yeah," he murmurs, playing with her fingers. She smiles and kisses the side of his face, enjoying the peace and quiet. She loves their kids, but after the last few weeks, it's nice just to be with him and not have to worry or run to take care of some minor mishap that only kids could cause. Even better now that he's more himself, the dizzy spells few and far between, his moods pretty much leveled out. He still has headaches now and again, but they're easing up as well. She sighs against his cheek and hugs him tighter and he looks up at her with a small, knowing smile. "You ok, Princess?"

"Yep," she says, nuzzling against him. "Could be better though." He stares at her curiously and she smiles, hands trailing down his arms. "You know, we've already thrown away a lot of traditions already with this wedding... what's one more?" He looks confused, brows furrowed, until she leans in and kisses him, fingers teasing along the buttons of his shirt. He makes a noise deep in his throat and she hums, encouraging him until he rolls over so they're face to face, breathing heavily.

"Princess," he says lowly, biting his lip. He seems uncomfortable as he hovers over her and she kisses him, licking along the marks his teeth had left until he groans, her eyes fluttering at the soft sound. "I don't know... I don't wanna disappoint you..."

She pulls back to look at him and feels a wave of guilt then. She is dominating, especially with him, always had been- he'd just been _so_ agreeable, willing to do anything to make her happy even to his own detriment- that if she ever wanted anything, she felt the need to just go for it because he was always so worried about crossing her boundaries or making her unhappy. So now they're here, him bracing himself on his forearms, looking uncertainly down at her, and he isn't sure what to do to keep her happy the night before their wedding. She stares into his eyes and promises to be more patient, more kind, with him in their marriage. Starting tonight. She cups his face and gently kisses him. "Just do whatever feels natural, Jimmy. I promise you won't disappoint me."

"But..."

"No buts," she tells him. "You're great, I swear. Just go for it." She smooths her hands down his back just to freeze as he slowly works over the buttons of the blouse she'd been wearing when her sister and Bayley had dragged her out earlier for an impromptu bachelorette party. He moves languidly, pressing warm, slick kisses against every inch of skin that he reveals. She sighs and closes her eyes, her fingers biting into his shirt as he eases down her ribcage, along her abs. "Jimmy," she breathes, digging her heels into the bed and arching up into his warmth as he smiles against her, wrapping an arm around her waist to support her. She whimpers, wondering how he could've ever doubted himself, as his fingers trail against her, gentle and affectionate.

She wraps her arms around his neck when he crawls back up her body, greeting her with a kiss that leaves her toes curling as he presses a thumb to her lower lip, allowing him to explore more thoroughly. She wraps her legs around him and sighs as he breathes out her name, eyes still filled with some awe when he stares down at her. "Promise this isn't a dream or some... post-concussion syndrome or something," he says off of a faint laugh. "Like, I'm not actually still in the ring after wrestling Strowman, or-"

"Feels pretty real to me," she offers, her hand brushing lower down his body and making him shiver, biting his lip until she gently pinches it between her thumb and pointer finger, freeing it from his teeth. "None of that," she rebukes him softly. "I wanna hear you."

He chuckles breathlessly at this and tries, eyes gleaming every time she acknowledges his attempts. "You're so gorgeous, Carmella," he murmurs into her hair, kissing down her neck and brushing some of the golden strands away. She hums and cards her fingers through his hair as his hands trace the curves of her body down to her legs, both of them shivering when they meet up to kiss again, eyes locked as he tangles his fingers with hers, lightly pressing her hands into the pillows and shifting above her as a result of this position, clearly desperate to touch every inch of her all at once. "I love you so much," he tells her, overwhelmed and barely able to speak properly because of it.

She smiles and squeezes his hands, brushing her fingers over where his long healed scars remain from Fresco's birth. "I love you too, more than anything," she responds, making a soft, needy noise when he kisses her again.

Later, the room is completely dark and he's laying on his side, an arm lazily resting over her middle, when she shifts and kisses his forehead. He stirs and sighs. "Was that a good preview for the honeymoon?" he asks, half joking.

She laughs and nuzzles into him. "Yes, I believe so," she teases back. He chuckles and closes his eyes, humming softly as she rubs his back. She rolls onto her side to face him and smiles, brushing her fingers along his forehead, down his cheek. "I can't wait to be your wife," she informs him, rewarded for it when he smiles sleepily and presses closer to her.

Since his head injury, James had been nearly impossible to wake up sometimes, something that worries her every morning, but this day, he is the one waking her up with soft, slow kisses. She sighs and blinks awake before cupping his face, happy to see him up and eager like how he used to be before the accident. "Well, good morning to you too," she says with a happy little giggle as he nuzzles into her.

"We have a little time before we have to get moving," he says, softly kissing her. They feel too lazy and happy to really do much, just lay in each other's arms and share kisses and soft touches until their phones start ringing. Sighing regretfully, Carmella reaches for hers while he grabs his. "Hello? Yeah, Shinsuke, don't worry, I'm on my way." He sighs. "I guess it's time to face reality."

She strokes his jaw. "Reality is in a few hours, I'll be walking up to you in a white dress, and we're going to be the best looking married couple this side of Baltimore."

He laughs and dips in for another kiss. "I love you so much," he tells her with a bright smile before reluctantly getting up to go meet Shinsuke and Jericho for breakfast.

After another couple of quick kisses goodbye, she watches him go with a soft sigh before finding her phone and calling Bayley back. "Coast is clear. Time to come bride me up."

After Bayley arrives with the girls, they have a quick breakfast of bagels and orange juice, Carmella giggling at the look on Lilly's face as she tries lox for the first time. "Remind me to take you guys to New York sometime, the bagels there are..." She sighs wistfully at the memory and winks at the girls before scooping up some more cream cheese and slathering it over Lilly's bagel for her.

Once they've all ate their fill- which isn't much for Carmella, because nerves are starting to set in, though she's not sure why- they begin the process of getting dressed, doing Carmella's makeup, then her hair. Nothing too extravagant, since it's a lowkey wedding, just enough for Carmella to look naturally beautiful with her hair done up in a waterfall braid that Bayley seems particularly proud of as she pats it gently once she finishes. Her dress is sleeveless, lacy and white, with a flowing skirt and beads along the bodice that glimmers every time the light brushes it, and Bayley had been very careful as she'd laced it up for Carmella. They'd all fallen in love with it the moment they'd seen it. The girls' dresses are lilac, while Bayley's is a slightly darker purple, and Carmella turns quietly to look at them. "You guys look so gorgeous," she says, laughing a little as tears glisten in her eyes. "I can't believe I'm getting married!"

Bayley hugs her, careful not to crumple her dress or smudge their makeup, and Carmella smiles at her. "Well, I'm going to check and see if the men are here yet, and then I guess we can get this show on the road."

"Ok," Carmella says, breathing in and out deeply to calm the butterflies in her stomach. She's just closed her eyes when small fingers curl into her hand, and she looks down to find Lilly staring up at her. "What is it, baby?"

"I'm happy you're gonna be my stepmomma," she says, casting a glance over at her sister before letting out a surprised squeak when Carmella sweeps her up into a hug, burying her face in her soft brown hair.

"So am I, sweetie. So am I," she whispers, feeling some of her nerves dissipate at Lilly's sweet declaration. "Thank you." She kisses Lilly's nose before putting her down and smoothing her dress. Marina has been somewhat quiet this morning, and Carmella understands. She's the only one of the two of them who may sort of remember when their parents were together, so it can't be too easy for her, but after Bayley peeks in and confirms that everything's ready, and Carmella stands, Marina joins her, staring up at her while Bayley and Lilly wait by the door.

Carmella waits and finally Marina says softly, "Thank you for making Daddy so happy," before slipping her hand into Carmella's like Lilly had done ten minutes prior and squeezing her fingers.

Carmella carefully sinks down until at Marina's eyelevel and hugs her. "I promise, I'll do my best to keep doing that, for all of you." She pulls back and smiles at Marina. "I love all of you, I really do." Marina exhales, then nods as Carmella strokes her cheek tenderly before standing back up, turning towards Bayley. "Well, it's time to begin, I think," she says quietly.

"Yep," Bayley says cheerfully. Carmella's father is waiting in the hall and he gapes at his baby girl for a minute as Bayley goes first, then Marina.

"Do I look good, daddy?"

"You're gorgeous, baby," he says, seeming anxious over the dress so he gingerly hugs her as she laughs into his shoulder. They can _just_ see part of the living room from here and she watches with so much love that it almost hurts as Chris Jericho helps little Fresco toddle over to James and Shinsuke with the rings on a soft pillow, hoisting him up once the rings are where they belong and holding him while James kisses his son's forehead.

Music kicks in and Carmella looks down. "It's your turn, Lilly," she says softly, lips twitching up into a soft smile as she watches the girl skip out, throwing flowers here and there like she'd been shown. Carmella laughs softly and looks up at her dad. "That's our cue," she murmurs and he reaches out for her, tucking her hand in the crook of his arm as he guides her through the living room to James, who gapes at her.

She takes him in in kind, how his vest is black with gold metallic designs swirling through it like one of the first hoodies she'd bought for him way back when they began working together in WWE. "Nice throwback," she says, reaching out to stroke the fabric as soon as they're standing across from each other, her dad quietly taking his seat.

"You look gorgeous," is all he can think to say as he looks at her with soft affection in his eyes.

She beams at him. "You don't look so bad yourself." They're so lost in each other, whispering and smiling, that she doesn't notice the officiant until he softly clears his throat and she jumps, blushing. "Oh! I'm so sorry," she gasps.

"No worries," he says, no censure in his expression or tone. "It's a good sign when the couples I'm marrying are so in love that the rest of the world seems to disappear around them." He smiles at them. "May we begin?"

"Of course," Carmella and James agree, waiting patiently as Officiant Thomas talks about marriage and love and other things along that subject, Carmella only grasping some of it as she stares into James' eyes. He smiles gently at her and they both reach out for each other when Thomas urges them to take hands, preparing to read the vows they'd written for each other.

"Carmella, I know a lot of people scoff at the thought of love at first sight. They say it's just physical attraction, or whatever, but that's not true. I loved you for the person you were in the moment you saw me, beaten up and alone in the hallway fresh off of losing to AJ Styles, and you could've left me there to fend off the interview, but instead you helped me back to the hotel and you took care of me that night. I've never forgotten it, and I never will." He smiles. "It proves what a good, loving person you are." He lifts her hands and kisses them lightly. "And the dedication you showed me every day since. Wearing my shirt while I was suspended, defending me to the others. I missed you so much when it was over." His face clouds over a little. "But you came back into my life, and became a huge part of my girls' lives, and now we have a beautiful son..." He laughs softly, his eyes gleaming. "And now we're here, something I didn't think was possible for awhile there. I love you so much."

Carmella swallows when she realizes it's her turn. "You expect me to go after _that_?" she laughs softly, wiping at her eyes. "You know, a lot of people seem to look at us when they realize we're a couple and I hear what they're thinking," she says, squeezing James' hands. "Why is he with her? What could she possibly see in him? But they're blind. When I first met you, I said you were uniquely attractive, and I meant it. You are. And it's not just your appearance, either. You're unique in here." She rests her hand on his chest and smiles at him. "So many people become bitter, jaded by this life we've chosen for ourselves. But you embrace it, and you fall in love with it even more every day. Even when you're hurt, or WWE fired you, you never let it get you down. You started working to be better, to be stronger, to be _more_ immediately. And I am always so proud of you for that. I'm honored to raise these kids with you, and I'm so honored to be your wife. I love you, Jimmy."

As her words fade away, Officiant Thomas speaks once more. "James, Will you take Carmella to be your wife? To laugh with her, go on adventures with her, support her through life's tough moments, be proud of her, grow old with her, and find new reasons to love her every day?"

"I will," he says, stroking her hand gently.

He repeats the question to Carmella and she nods vehemently. "I will," she echoes, squeezing James' hand tenderly.

"Will you, Carmella and James, be each other's partners from this day forward? Will you bring out the best in one another, share your happiest moments together, and love each other absolutely — for the rest of this lifetime and for whatever may come next?" 

Their eyes lock. "We will," they vow as one, smiling at each other.

Shinsuke steps forward and hands the ring to the officiant, who passes it along to James, who echoes him as he places it on Carmella's finger. "This ring is a token of my love. I marry you with this ring, with all that I have and all that I am."

She gasps, staring at the gold and silver lapped band, a nicely sized diamond in the middle, and looks up at James curiously before Bayley distracts her, handing over the second ring which the officiant gives to Carmella, repeating the words for her to say as well. James' smile is sly, a little mischevious, as their hands interlace once more, the perfectly matching rings gleaming on their fingers.

"Then by the power vested in me by the state of Maryland, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride, James," he says, then laughs because the words have barely left his lips when James has already stepped forward, pulling her in and kissing her deeply.

"I love you," they whisper to each other once they ease away and beam at each other. But then Carmella lightly swats him. "Explain this ring, mister! Did you go peeking?"

He laughs. "No, I didn't, I swear. Well, I saw you put something in your jewelry drawer when you thought I was asleep... so when you were out with your sister and Bayley, Shinsuke took a look for me, then he give me hints on which ring to buy, but I had no idea what you had gotten for me. I think I did a pretty good job."

"You cheater," she laughs, swatting him again before hugging him tightly, gazing at her ring over his shoulder. "I love the ring, it's perfect."

"I have good taste," he mumbles, rocking her back and forth. "Now I think we should begin this reception so we can kick everyone out and I can help you out of this dress as soon as possible, don't you?" he asks, fingers teasing at the fabric ties holding the back of the dress together.

She giggles and presses her forehead to his. "I'm an awful influence on you." His eyes gleam happily as she turns and slips her hand in his, nodding to Jericho who finds the iPad and makes sure it was set to play the right music. "Excuse me," she called out, attracting everyone's attention.

"We've got some food in the kitchen, and there'll be cake a little later, but even though we decided to skip a few traditions, I convinced Carmella to keep this one. The first dance." General oohs and ahhs spread around the room, and then the music begins. James laughs and shakes his head as James Arthur starts playing, making a face at Carmella. "Really?" She smirks at him, holding a hand out to him and he sighs in exaggerated bemusement, taking her hand and drawing her in close. She snuggles up to him and he closes his eyes as they move back and forth to the music slowly, the lyrics to _Say You Won't Let Go_ finally registering with him and he sighs, catching her eye. "I won't," he murmurs and her face softens as she cards her fingers through his hair and kisses him.

"Me neither." Once the song ends, they pull away from each other and return to their guests, collecting Fresco from Shinsuke, Jericho sets the playlist on randomize before ducking into the kitchen to get drinks. "Toasts!" he says enthusiastically, handing out glasses of champagne to the adults and sparkling juice to the kids.

Carmella smiles as she rests her head on James' shoulder, listening to Jericho and Bayley's speeches while she plays with the baby's fingers. James wraps his arm around her and runs his hand up and down her back. "How are you feeling?" she asks him quietly, glancing up to search his face. "You seemed ok dancing."

"I feel pretty good," he says with a small grin. "Mrs. Ellsworth."

She chuckles. "I'm glad, Mr. Ellsworth. But seriously, no dizziness or anything? Headache?" Her brow furrows as she searches his face for any sign of something he may be keeping from her.

"I'm great," he insists, cupping her face and softly kissing her. "If something changes, I'll let you know, but for now, let's just enjoy all of this, alright?"

"Alright," she sighs. "You better mean what you say, though. I want to know if anything's wrong."

"Yes ma'am," he says with a smile, turning his attention back to what Jericho is saying, making everyone around him laugh with ridiculous road stories of James and Carmella. Bayley's toast is much kinder, focused more on sweet moments in James and Carmella's relationship, and after they raise their glasses to that, the cake is brought out.

Gripping his daughter's hands, James leads them over to the table and they stare up in awe at the two tiered chocolate frosted cake, eyes wide as James grips the knife, turning to wait as Carmella hands Fresco over to Bayley. They guide the knife together, cutting the first slice and placing it on a saucer. Carmella points warningly at him. "You'd better not smush that all over my face, Jimmy, I swear," she tells him, her accent coming out thickly.

He's about to respond when she takes a big piece of the cake and pushes it all over his mouth and nose. "Hey!" She joins in with everyone else's laughter before he grabs her, a mischevious look on his face as he pulls her in and kisses her, smearing frosting and cake crumbs all over her lips.

She rolls her eyes but allows it, kissing him back. "Tastes good," she says with a smirk, wiping the rest of the cake from his face and licking it off of her fingers.

"Weddings are weird," Lilly declares loudly, causing everyone to snicker and whisper amongst themselves as more slices of cake are cut and put on plates for everyone else.

A couple hours later, the guests have finally left, the girls holed up in their room, now in comfortable clothes and playing around with Jericho's playlist, and Fresco is down for his nap, which leaves the newlyweds alone as they slowdance around the living room, Carmella blinking as they spin quietly around the room. She eases away from him far enough to look into his face but not break up their forward motion and he stares down at her curiously. "We're gonna have the best life, Jimmy," she says softly.

He smiles down at her, squeezing her fingers softly. "I know we will. It's already pretty great, Princess."

She nods in agreement and tucks herself against him once more, enjoying the easy glide around the room, his heart beating steadily in her ear.

-x

Enzo walks into the room and drops his phone onto the table with a rapid flick of his wrist, shifting around on his feet until Cass snags ahold of his jacket and draws him down onto the couch, settling him between his legs and hugging him close. "Everything alright?" he asks softly tracing his hands up and down Enzo's chest, trying to relax him.

"Yeah," Enzo breathes out, resting his head back against Cass' shoulder and looking up at him with tenderness in his tired blue eyes. "It's ok. Better now," he says, tilting his head and smirking as Cass brushes his fingers over his jaw, leaning in to kiss him. His fingers tangle in Cass' long hair, holding him in place, when his phone beeps and he groans. "What the hell-?" Reluctantly pulling away from Cass, he grabs the device and frowns at it before realization dawns on his face. "Oh."

Cass can't see around Enzo's hair, so he waits patiently until finally asking, "What is it?"

"Text from Carmella," he says quietly, angling the phone so Cass can see as well. "They look happy."

The two of them stare at the photo on the phone, James and Carmella leaning into each other on a couch with James' two daughters resting against their knees and baby Fresco propped up in the middle. All are smiling, Carmella in a white beaded gown and the girls in soft, purple dresses and James in slacks and a golden vest over a black dress shirt that looks like something she would've picked out for him, probably a picture from their impromptu wedding that's been whispered about backstage lately. "She does," Cass admits, relief audible in his voice. They'd both been worried about her to varying degrees. He squeezes Enzo tighter and watches as he scrolls down to the text under the page. "What'd she say?" he asks, not having his glasses on right this moment.

Enzo clears his throat, rereading the simple text and remembering the conversation they'd had over a year ago. Smiles a bit too. "She says she hopes we have a good life as well."

Cass mulls on this for a moment before easing the phone out of Enzo's hands and pushing it to the far end of the couch, tugging him closer to kiss him. "I think we will."

Enzo chuckles and shifts so they're both a bit more comfortable, wrapping his arms around Cass' neck. "Yeah? Me too."


End file.
